To Understand
by Harmony283
Summary: COMPLETE! It's been 1 year since the worlds were reunited and everyone's in Iselia to celebrate. But why is Genis in a Katz Suit? And what does Zelos have to do with it? Also why is Pronyma's ghost haunting Genis? What does she want? TU61 1 Year Later R
1. Thoughts on a Cold Night

**To Understand**

**By Harmony283**

**Summary-**Genis Sage, a twelve year old half-elven boy who is wise beyond his years in every field except for love. Now he mulls over his feelings for another; wondering if they really are true or if they are corrupt and evil just like the one he loves. He even starts questioning his own self-worth.

**Pairing(s)-**MithosXGenis, slight Zelos X Lloyd

**Authors Note: **oh yes, I just had to write this! I just got through the Tower of Salvation (in Tethe'alla) and wrote down most of the conversation Yggdrasill had with Lloyd and Genis (I thought it was neat how he accidentally slipped up and called Genis by name when he really isn't supposed to know him).This takes place in Flanoir during the doctor event. It's also mostly in Genis POV.

**Disclaimer: **No I don't own Tales of Symphonia, Namco does. If I did I wouldn't have made Mithos die in the end and there'd be more skits/scenes with Mithos and Genis.

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Genis POV

Gods it's cold. Really cold. But hey, what was I expecting? It to be hot? No, we're in a place where it _snows_ all the time for heavens sake; of course it would be cold! But…I'm not just cold on the outside…no, that doesn't sound right. How can someone's insides be cold? Our average temperature is 75 degrees (A/N: Yes it's Fahrenheit, I don't know what the bodys' temp. would be in Celsius) so that rules out internal freezing.

Hmm, maybe I'm casting too many ice spells. Yeah, that could be it.

Ah…who am I kidding? That's not the reason at all!

_'But the other reason is highly unlikely as well.' _

"No it's not!" I muttered, glaring at my reflection in the mirror in my hotel room in Flanoir.

'_Oh yes it is. Stop defying me. You know that reason can not be. You must over come it, like you have so many of your other ordeals. This should be no different.'_

"But it _is _different. It has more to do with me than anything else did!"

_'Hmm, oh really? Well you brought that on yourself. Why don't you tell Raine exactly what's been going on?' _

"But I have! She knows…"

_'But does she really? You are very good at keeping secrets. Oh and you're a good actor too.'_

"What does that have to do with anything?"

_'It has a lot to do with many things. You pretend to be strong, but you're weak, you pretend you can handle things, when you really can't…you pretend you don't notice things, when you do. You pretend you aren't suspicious of certain people. And yet, those turn out to be the first to betray you.'_

"Oh am I? Well then give me an example."

'_For one, you aren't very fast.'_

"But my magic casting more than makes up for that."

_'Yes I suppose it does. But how useful are you really when you're constantly relying on others to protect you while you're cast spells?'_

I gulped, "Well they protect Raine too!"

_'Yes, but she's trained with a staff. A staff is a fighting weapon.' _

"My Kendama is too!"

_'That…thing? It is merely but a toy! How can you call that toy a weapon?'_

I grumbled under my breath, "Well I don't think you have any right to choose."

_'Oh yes, and as for handling things. You wish you could just cave in and scream at the others for their own stupidity don't you? They think you're oh-so-smart, that you can take control of stressful situations with ease. But can you really? Can you really allow them to rely on you intelligence?' _

"There's Raine…she's smarter than me. They rely on her."

_'yes, but mostly for her healing arts and her wisdom of technology. But they also respect her. They do not misuse her wisdom. But what about you? They use your smarts all the time.'_

"I don't really mind, but it would be nice if they opened their eyes a little and saw that I can't do everything."

'_So you're agreeing with me?'_

"Yes and no."

_'I see, you're very indecisive. That's a bad habit.' _

"So?"

_'They mock you.'_

"What?"

_'They mock you. You may be smart but because of your age they degrade you.' _

"Well, that's true. But I'm used to that."

'_They say things, things they think you won't understand because of your age, but you do. You understand them even more than they do. But you never say. You also take notice of small actions; say, how Zelos treats Lloyd.' _

"What does that ass have to do with anything?"

'_My, my, temper, temper. But you noticed, did you not?'_

"Well yeah. I'm surprised my sister didn't notice. I mean, Zelos glomps Lloyd every chance he gets. That's kinda leaning towards something."

_'Yes. And because of your age, they do not believe that you understand love.'_

"Love…no, I guess I don't. I've never really felt it before so how can I know? But I do know the basis of it, like it being that you care for a person deeply. And I can tell that the ass, for all of the gods above, seems to care for Lloyd."

_'Yes. But they do not know you know that…oh look, there they are now.'_

I turned my gaze to my window and saw Zelos and Lloyd, walking back from the church…hand-in-hand. Lloyd had one of his famous goofy grins on his face whilst Zelos gazed at him; a foreign shimmer in his eyes. I watched as the stopped under a street lamp, the only one still on, and...

Kissed.

And it wasn't innocent kissing. I watched, though knowing I shouldn't, as Zelos—being the pervert that he is—let his gloved hand slide down to Lloyds rear. I turned away and sighed, "Well that was…nice."

'_But you expected that, didn't you?'_

"…Yeah, I did. So what?"

_'Hmm…'_

I sighed, wondering what that voice in my head was thinking. Heh, I guess it's strange to have a voice in my head…or for anyone to have a voice in their heads, but mine is just…there. No introduction needed. Some would call it the voice of reason. I call it:

Just Plain Annoying.

Or, for short, JPA. Har-har.

'_Please quit with the sarcasm. I thought of something else.'_

"And that is?" I asked, turning to face the window once more. Zelos was now talking with Lloyd, but he was holding him as well. His lips barely moved and I was sure that he was saying words of comfort. What a liar. What an ass.

'_See, you just proved my last point.' _

I turned my gaze away, "Last point?"

_'Don't play stupid with me boy, you know what I mean.' _

I flinched at the coldness in the voice. Sometimes, when I was especially sarcastic or annoyed, the voice would turn as cold as ice, making my whole body shake. This has happened more than once on our journey. Raine often…worried…but It's not like telling her 'Oh I have a voice in my head' will do me any good.

It might send me to a Sanity Ward.

'_Heh, I'm sure it would. Now then, you just proved my point by your dislike of Zelos.' _

"And? I don't like him cuz he's an idiot."

'_That and he might betray Lloyd.' _

I froze, eyes slightly widening. No, I can't…just up and accuse him. Yeah, he's an ass, and yeah, he's a pervert, philanderer, anything else Sheena could possibly call him, but…no, how could he betray Lloyd after he just kissed him?

"If he does betray Lloyd, he won't get off with just a slap on the wrist."

_'Very true. But why are you so surprised about the possibility of him betraying Lloyd?'_

"He just kissed him for gods sake! How can someone turn around and betray someone the very next day?"

_'Who said it was going to be the very next day? And besides, it happened to you.' _

I felt my throat close up. This…that wasn't…I didn't…want that to happen to Lloyd.

"I don't want that to happen to Lloyd."

'_And why not?'_

"He's my friend and a ten times better person than I am." I tried to hold back tears…tears, why was I going to cry? I could have sworn I cried my heart out yesterday.

"_Hum, really? Is that the only reason?"_

"No. I don't want him to…be hurt…like I was." I turned my now tear blurred vision towards the window. Lloyd had now pulled away from Zelos and said something that made the red heads eyes loose their shine and his face turn cold. But that was only for a split second.

A split second when everything and anything can change.

Just like the split second I saw Mithos kicking the body of Yuan outside of Altessas house.

'_Oh my, you just now are realizing it, aren't you?'_

"I-I can't…I won't cry. I…I'm not going to. I…I don't miss him. I don't miss…him…"

_'And who is 'him'?'_ the voice in my head asked, almost teasingly.

"You know who he is!"

_'I do?'_

"Yes you do, now quit mocking me!" the tears were now threatening to spill forward. I couldn't take this anymore, and that _stupid _voice wasn't helping any.

No it wasn't at all.

'_Why do you hate me?'_

I froze, "What?"

_'I asked you why do you hate me? You say it's my fault that you feel this way, that I'm making your emotions go crazy, but am I?' _the voice was now gentle, almost pleading, like a gently winds breath on a summers day. How corny is that?

"No."

_'No?'_

"I…won't cry."

'_But if you don't you won't get better.'_

I knew the voice in my head spoke the truth, it really wasn't good to keep from crying, but if I did then Lloyd would be worried. Colette and Zelos would be too. They weren't blind. They knew that I was friends with Mithos. They knew that this had hit me the hardest. That's why Lloyd and Colette both hadn't bugged me all day.

'…_You still…care for him, don't you? You care for that boy, Mithos.' _

I bowed my head, my bangs covering my eyes as I mutely nodded my head.

'_What would they say if that 'caring' was actually more?'_

Another pang, straight to the heart.

'_You…if they found out you loved the enemy. You _loved _the enemy, would they trust you?'_

"They know…they can…trust me." I whispered, my voice slightly wavering with emotions so foreign to me.

'_Now tell me again: you don't know what love is?'_

"But I don't."

_'Yes, yes you do. You love Mithos.'_

"How can a love…like that…an evil love…a love for an evil person…ever be right?" I asked, my voice filling with anger. I didn't understand love. But all of the romance novels I had read in secret never told of someone…loving the enemy.

"My love for him…is corrupt. It's just as evil…as he is. How could they trust me if they found out?"

_'But you just said yourself that they can trust you.' _

"I meant I'd never turn on them. But if they found out, they…they'd think I could."

The voice seemed to pause, as if thinking over what I had just said, _'Genis.' _

"This love is wrong."

_'Genis'_

"So very wrong. I wish I didn't…love him. I…hate…him. I hate him for making me feel this way!"

A sudden swish of cold air made me snap my head up. The window, how long had it been open?

"So, you hate me? Then I guess I'll leave."

I gasped.

It couldn't be.

…Could it?

I whirled around. There, standing at the foot of my bed was:

Mithos.

My friend.

My Enemy.

The person I—

"Mithos!"

Mithos, who had turned away from me, opening his wings, which were a brilliant hue of all the rainbows colors, turned to face me again. I stood there, gawking at him, his wings…

"Your wings…"

"My wings?" Mithos asked, his facing showing confusion, a look which always made me think he was cute. He then looked back at his wings, then to me, "oh, right. You've never seen my wings before…have you?"

"No…I haven't. They're…really, um, they suit you."

A small grin appeared on his face, he turned back around to face me, "Oh really now? Do they? Yeah, I guess they would."

"Um…why are you…?"

"Here? I—" his face suddenly turned a light shade of pink, he looked down at the ground and shifted his weight, as if embarrassed.

"You?"

"I wanted to see you."

"…Me?" I was shocked. He came all the way from Derris Kharlan to see me?

"…But I guess since you said you hated me I'll leave. I was just hoping to see you one last time before we have to fight." His eyes, showed sadness in unbelievable measures. Now I had wished those words had never left my mouth.

'_Genis, you can say four simple words to make him stay.' _

"I…Mithos…I don't hate you."

"Then why did you say it?" There was a cold bitterness in his voice, his eyes flashed with anger—but only for a split second.

He noticed I was shaking. His eyes softened, "I'm sorry, Genis. Now tell me. Why did you say it?"

"I…don't like…the way you…made me feel. I, well, it…hurt. It hurt when you said those words yesterday."

"It did? How so?"

Why was he asking that? Didn't he already know?

"It…um…how could you say that?"

"How did it hurt? What did it feel like?" Mithos asked again, completely ignoring my question.

I blinked, my hand moving absentmindedly to my chest, to cover my heart. I closed my eyes, trying to think clearly.

"It felt…like my heart…was shattering into many different pieces. Like…glass. You had held my heart for a while and then, just like that, you dropped it and it broke." I opened my eyes slowly and gazed at the blond boy standing only a few feet away from me. He seemed different. His eyes had glazed over, his face had softened. He slowly but surly moved forward, though not by walking. He floated with his rainbow colored wings to stand close to me.

"Hey…no fair, you're already taller than me without floating two inches off the ground!" I joked, though not knowing why I did. Now wasn't the time to be joking.

Mithos placed a hand on my cheek, and smiled, "I know. But I like being taller than you." He pulled me close, hugging me tightly.

"M-Mithos…"

"Now if only you were wearing that Katz costume." A hint of amusement tinted his voice, causing the blood to rush to my cheeks, giving them a red color.

"Wha--?"

Mithos just smiled at me as I stared at him. He then picked me up, almost too easily, and floated over to the bed, placing me down on it.

"Mithos?"

I watched as he retracted his wings and climbed onto the bed with me.

"Yes?"

"When did you find out about my Katz costume?"

"I have spies everywhere." He said, with a smirk clear on his face. He pulled me once more to him and held me. I stared up at the ceiling, happy beyond words. Mithos, he was here to see me. He couldn't be all bad if he still cared enough to see me before we fought, right?

Then why did I have this horrible feeling in my chest?

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Well here it is: my first Mithos X Genis/Zelos X Lloyd fic! I might just post up the second part but that's only if I get enough reviews. I will listen to any CC you have, since this is technically my first fic solely focusing on shonen-ai (boyXboy relationships) please tell me if anything seems off.


	2. A Confession and a Doubt

Well, thanks to some reviews now I shall update!

**To Understand: Part Two**

**A Confession and a Doubt**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews (Good): 2**

**Hiranieas-**Thanks for being the first reviewer! And yeah, I'm an obsessive Gethos Fan girl too. This was the first pairing that I found an immediate liking to. My fav. Parts though, is when Mithos says (during the earthquake at the end of Disk One) 'I thought I heard Genis' voice. Hmm, I wonder why?

**DraNKa**-Wow…thanks for the great review! I'm glad that you thought it was great (this is, like I said in the beginning, my first time writing shonen-ai/angst). I also got tired of the ones about his betrayal (though some of them are written very well) so I decided to do something different. But as for it being fan-girl approved—wow! That's still a major compliment since this is my first fan-fic with this pairing!

**Reviews (Bad): NONE**

**Disclaimer-**Me, own ToS? Sadly, no I do not. Namco does. Anyways I don't own anything, so don't sue me because you won't get anything! The only thing I do own is the plot!

**Authors Note: **Well this chapter has mostly Mithos' POV with some Kratos POV but it's mostly on him giving Mithos advice. This is basically what happened in the last chapter--only Mithos' POV. Sorry in advance for making Kratos sound OOC, I try and I try but I can never get his character in character.

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Mithos POV

It was dark. It was reasonably cold. Or at least I assumed it would be…if I could feel. I sighed and looked out the library window in my castle. I had a book open in my lap filled with all sorts of evil spells. But that didn't keep me from being bored. In fact, I wanted a certain someone to be here—

"Lord Yggdrasill."

I turned to face the voice, and nodded my head. It was Kratos. Oh how I wish I could ask him to—

"Yes?"

"Sir, everything is ready. But you…don't look so well."

"Hnn, really?"

"Yes, really. Is something wrong? You've been…staying in your child form longer and longer now."

I just sighed at this, "Well I just so happen to be fond of this shorter body. You do remember that children have it easy in the world. Besides, why do you even care?"

Kratos seemed slightly surprised by my sudden cold attitude, but masked it away easily like he had always done.

"I care because how can you be focused on your mission when you seem so worried about something else…so regretful of something that happened."

I mulled over those words in my head, well yes, I was worried about quite a number of things such as:

Would this really work?

Would it really be worth it?

Would Martel be happy in her new body?

…Would _he_ forgive me?

Would he…would I…still be able to see him?

Would one of us die?

Kratos obviously noticed my paling complexion and asked once more, "Is everything okay…Mithos?" I wanted so badly just to tell him what was wrong. But could I really trust him? He had been leaking all sorts of information to Lloyds group. But then again, the boy was his son for heavens sake, I guess he'd want to do something to help him. But…the information he gave to them…it was inexcusable.

Then again, he didn't do as badly as Yuan did. The double agent—my sisters fiancée.

"Mithos," Kratos sighed, "Listen, I can understand if you don't trust me as much as you would like to, but—from mentor to student—please tell me what's wrong because it's obviously something that has been bugging you for a while."

I nodded my head, "Yes, I suppose it has been going on for a while now. And yes it has been bugging me for a while. It…has to do with a number of things."

Kratos just nodded his head, taking a seat next to me.

"First off, I'm starting to doubt things like-will this even work? Out of every time we failed…I never held such doubt before."

"Hmm."

"And then there's the factor of would it even be worth it."

Kratos seemed shocked at this, "Worth it? What…made you think that? You have always been so sure of that…why now?"

"Because of _him_."

"Him?"

"My…friend…"

"Ah, you mean Genis?"

I nodded my head, "Yes, Genis. He made me doubt it."

Kratos, ironically enough, seemed to think that this was a well enough answer. Did he know something about Genis I didn't know?

"And you'll just accept that answer without question?"

"Yes, I would. That boy…is wise beyond his years, as I'm sure you've figured out. He is, along with his sister, the voice of reason in the group. Though it slightly worries me that he would say that our efforts have been futile. He, like his sister, is hardly ever wrong."

I nodded my head. Yes I had known Genis was smart. At one point I even half-heartedly hoped that he would side with me in the end. But then…it happened.

I fell in love with him.

And that changed things for me.

Yes, ever since I met the boy, I had been fond of him. But I didn't think I had a chance because he seemed so…hooked on that girl…Presea. But imagine my surprise that time when Zelos…that stupid, _stupid_ fool, said that Genis could stay behind.

I believe the reason was because of their going to make a pact with Luna and Aska, who were, supposedly, resistant to all types of magic. Meaning Genis would only get in the way. I wanted to hit him so hard for saying that. But I restrained myself because we were in the audience of the rest of their friends. Heh, but Genis sure did get mad at him.

'_Isn't Aska immune to all types of Magic?'_

'_Huhn, I wonder. Where'd you find that out?' Sheena asked, seemingly surprised at Zelos' sudden bout of intelligence._

'_I do read books deary. I read one about the summon spirits. I believe you were the one to suggest it to me.'_

'_Oh yeah that's right. I guess it's true then.'_

'_Yup! That means we won't need the brat—I mean Genis—to come along, unless you want to of course.'_

'_Are you calling me useless?'_

'_No! no! you misinterpret my meaning! I'm just saying that, since it'd do no good for you to fight—then you should stay here with Mithos! You two are good friends aren't you?'_

_Genis' face lit up immediately, and he turned to face me, 'Really? I can stay here?'_

_I smiled softly, also glad, 'Well if you aren't going with them then yes I'd like to spend more time with you.'_

'_Is that okay, Raine?'_

'_Well, I suppose so. Just don't wander around too much! And don't fight against any monsters!' _

'_Eh, Raine, I know you're worried about me an' all, but shouldn't I be the one telling that to you? I mean, come on! You're going up against not one, but two Summon Spirits! I should be telling you to be careful!'_

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Kratos POV

"Mithos?"

"Huh?"

"Are you…okay? You spaced out there for a second."

Mithos laughed half-heartedly, his turquoise eyes still distant, his expression a mix of worry and embarrassment, "Um, no, it's nothing. I was just…remembering something."

Now I was suspicious. If this had been any other situation I wouldn't have been so worried but something told me that something just wasn't right.

"Ah, remembering something?"

Mithos stuck his tongue out in disgust, "You're starting to sound like Lloyd."

"Well he is my son after all. Now answer the question, what were you remembering?"

Why did I have the sneaking suspicion it had to do with Genis? They were just friends, right?

"I was remembering—you remember the time they made the pact with Luna?"

"Yes, I do believe I heard of it."

"Well, did you know that Genis didn't go with them?"

I feigned interest, "Oh really?" Of course I had known that, Raine had been worried sick about him when I mentioned earthquakes in Tethe'alla.

Mithos seemed slightly suspicious, but continued, "Yeah, well, he stayed with me at Altessas."

Warning bells were going off in my head.

"He did?"

Mithos smiled then, something I never, for the life of me, could see him doing since his sister died.

"Yeah, we had so much fun…that's when he told me about Cruxis and what they were trying to do and how he said it wasn't worth it."

Now he seemed sad. How could Genis' words have such an effect on him? How could Genis, in general have so much of an impact on him? I wasn't stupid, I had heard about what happened when Lloyd was trying to take the Eternal Blade. Mithos had gone so far as to get hit by Genis' attack, then he blocked an attack from Pronyma aimed at Genis.

But why?

The bells in my head were getting louder.

Then it hit me.

"You…like him don't you?"

Mithos' face turned scarlet, "Wha—ah! No—I mean, wait, how did you…?"

"I'm not stupid, Lord Yggdrasill—Mithos."

"I know that, Kratos. But what makes you think I like him like that?"

Now I just had to smirk, "You honestly don't think I heard anything about how you helped Genis? How you went so far as to get hit by one of his attacks and then block Lady Pronymas attack for him?"

His face just got ten times redder than a tomato…ugh, tomatoes.

"I-I-I that was…shut up!"

"Mithos, there's nothing wrong with liking someone. I was just wondering."

"I don't think it'll affect anything so please don't bring it up again!"

"Actually it does have an affect on everything. You may very well kill him." His face showed horror and yet, understanding at the same time, "And you know that, don't you?"

"Y-Yes…I do."

My eyes softened, "Don't you think it would be nice if you could see him once more before the fight?"

Mithos' eyes widened considerably, "Wha—I…I'd love to! But he probably hates me now."

Then it dawned on me, "Does he know you care for him…that way?"

He blushed and nodded his head lightly, "Y-Yeah, I-I…he knows."

"And did he accept those feelings?"

Mithos nodded his head once more, "He did."

"Does he…care for you in the same way?"

Mithos shook his head, "I don't know. He never outright said it, but he…let me hold him on more than one occasion."

"I see. Then wouldn't you want a straight answer from him?"

Mithos nodded his head, suddenly getting up from off the couch and revealing his wings, "Yeah actually, I would. Thanks Kratos. And if Pronyma asks where I am…make something up."

I nodded my head and watched him open the huge bay window, taking off into the night air.

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Mithos POV

I floated down to the ground. It was snowing here, and I knew I couldn't be too far away from Flanoir. But because of the accursed snow, I couldn't see anything. I guess I should be thankful now that I can't feel the cold. If I did, traveling through it would be unbearable. But that reminds me, Genis always wore shorts and short sleeves. Was he naturally warm blooded?

Hmm, I guess I'll just have to ask him that when I meet up with him. Hopefully he's staying in his own room in Flanoir. Actually, yes, I'm sure he is. With Altessas' wounds, and his sister being the healer that she is, I'm sure she went with that doctor to his house.

I sighed and trudged through the snow. Almost instantly I see the outline of Flanoir, what luck.

I hurriedly made my way into the small town, and, yet again, have to hide myself. There, under the only lit street lamp, is Zelos and he's…

Kissing Lloyd.

'_So he really _is_ gay.' _I think to myself humorously. How ironic since he always flirts with women. Then I remember: he's supposed to be working for me! If he, for all the gods above, loves Lloyd then…then he could possibly not—no, if he loved Lloyd then he would want his title as Chosen removed.

Then something catches my eye in the window of the inn. I focus my vision and see…white hair.

Not just any white hair.

Genis' hair.

So he sees this as well? I wonder what he thinks of it. Knowing him, he must already know that Zelos is a traitor.

And he also must know that he will hurt Lloyd. I wonder…what will he do? Will he confront him, or not? Suddenly the two break their kiss and Lloyd asks him something…I can tell from here that Zelos is tense. Lloyd must have said how much he trusted him.

How much…he trusted him…

_'We're friends aren't we, Mithos?'_

_'Yeah…we are…why?'_

_'I…I trust you, okay?'_

I shook my head, I couldn't let thoughts--memories--like that lead me away from what I wanted. What I came here for.

I wanted a confession.

I watched as the two new lovebirds walked away…and saw my chance. I hurried towards the window. I opened it stealthily. Ironically Genis wasn't paying attention. He was standing in front of a mirror with his head bowed.

"I…hate…him. I hate him for making me feel this way!" I froze as I heard those words. A particularly cold blast of wind came in through the window then, causing Genis to look over at it. But by now I was standing behind him.

"So, you hate me? Then I guess I'll leave."

He gasped and turned to face me. His face showing a mixture of surprise, confusion, and…no, not that emotion. I turned away and released my wings, preparing to leave and never come back.

"Mithos!"

His voice made me stop. I turned to look at him slowly. He was staring at me, almost in shock. I looked at where his gaze was. It was on my back.

"Your wings…"

"My wings?" I asked, confused. I then look back at my wings, then I realize it. I turn my gaze back to him, "Oh, right. You've never seen my wings before, have you?"

He shakes his head, "No…I haven't. They're…really, um, they suit you." He says this almost with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

This makes me smile. I turn back around to face him, "Oh really now? Do they? Yeah, I guess they would."

I noticed that he seemed…nervous, "Um…why are you…?"

"Here? I--" then I blushed, remembering exactly why I'm here. Oh gods, how can I ask him that after he said he hated me?

"You?" he proded.

"I wanted to see you."

"…Me?" he seemed shocked. But then again, why wouldn't he be? He must think that I, the evil warlord of the entire world, have taken some time out of his busy schedule to come and see him.

What an honor.

Oh wait, that's right. He hates me. I guess I should leave now, shouldn't I?

"…But I guess since you said you hated me I'll leave. I was just hoping to see you one last time before we have to fight." I know that, as hard as I try, I can't mask the sadness on my face. I know Genis sees it. But what will he do?

He seems to be debating over that now.

"I…Mithos…I don't hate you."

"Then why did you say it?" I couldn't keep the bitterness from my voice. I could also tell that he saw anger in my eyes, he seemed scared. I sighed, "I'm sorry, Genis. Now tell me. Why did you say it?"

"I…don't like…the way you…made me feel. I, well, it…hurt. It hurt when you said those words yesterday." He mumbled, looking extremely hurt and yet embarrassed at the same time. But this just led me to more confusion.

What did he mean?

"It did? How so?"

He looked annoyed, as if I shouldn't be asking that.

"It…um…how could you say that?" That wasn't the answer I was looking for.

"How did it hurt? What did it feel like?"

Genis blinked, his hand moving absentmindedly to his chest, to cover his heart. He closed his eyes, obviously trying to think clearly.

"It felt…like my heart…was shattering into many different pieces. Like…glass. You had held my heart for a while and then, just like that, you dropped it and it broke." He said this so truthfully, so…so…painfully. How could I have done that to him? Did this mean…he felt the same?

He opened his eyes slowly and stared at me, his eyes portraying his true emotions. He…really…loved me…

My eyes had glazed over, my face had softened. I moved forwards slowly, though not by walking. By floating. Now I was floating right in front of him.

"Hey…no fair, you're already taller than me without floating two inches off the ground!" He joked, he then looked uncertain. But then again, this really wasn't the time for joking.

I smiled then, lifting my hand and placing it on the boys cheek, "I know, but I like being taller than you." I then pulled him closer to me, wrapping him in a tight embrace to which he replied, "M-Mithos?" I thought it cute how he stuttered.

Then I remembered a particular piece of information I found out. Oh gods, this was going to be fun.

Now if only you were wearing that Katz costume." Even though I couldn't feel anything I could tell he was blushing madly.

"Wha--?"

I smiled at this; he was so cute some times. I look absentmindedly at the bed then back at Genis. I picked him gently, startling him, and carried him, placing him on the still-made bed.

"Mithos?" he asked with confusion in his voice. I retracted my wings and climbed on the bed as well.

"Yes?"

"When did you find out about the Katz Costume?"

"I have spies everywhere." I smirked, pulling the boy closer to me in a tight embrace. We lay there, on the bed in each others arms, for what felt like an hour before Genis spoke again.

"Mithos?"

"Hmm?"

"Um…" his face turned red and I sat up, looking at him, "What?"

"Ah…I…um…"

"You…?"

Genis looked down at the bed covers, his face turning a deeper shade of crimson, "Genis…what is it?" I placed a hand gingerly on his cheek, turning his face towards mine.

Genis' eyes met mine, but they were filled with confusion.

"What's wrong? Please, tell me. I'm your friend Genis. You can tell me anything."

"W-Well."

----------

Genis POV

What was I supposed to say to him? Gods this was harder than it seemed. But yes, he was my friend so yeah, I could tell him anything. But…ugh…

"W-Well I was just um…wondering…you're here to see me right?"

Mithos nodded his head, smiling a soft smile in my direction, his eyes full of some emotion that made my stomach do cartwheels.

"Yes, I am. What about it?"

"Um, wh-what about…everything else…?"

"Oh, them? Well, Kratos said that he'd cover for me if Pronyma asked where I was."

"K-Kratos knows…?"

Mithos blushed lightly, realizing what he had just said, "Ah…um…yeah, he does. But, you…I told you before how I felt about you…right?"

I nodded my head.

"A-And…he asked me about it, I told him that I told you how I felt and he…asked me how you felt in return."

"A-And…wh-what did you…s-say…?"

"I wasn't sure. That's part of the reason I came here. I want to know if you hold the same feelings for me as I do you."

"You…mean…if…I…you want…to find out if I…like you…like…that?" Now I was blushing madly.

_'Oh my, how cute. He really loves you doesn't he?'_

I flushed even more from the voice in my head. I wanted so badly to tell it to stop but Mithos would obviously think something was wrong with me if I did.

"Ah…y-yes. That's what he wanted to know…and, Genis?"

"H…Yes?"

"Your face…are you okay? What's…wrong?" A smirk played across his face, making me blush harder.

"ah, no, it's nothing…just, um, thinking." Mithos moved so that he was now sitting, on his knees, in front of my. He ran his fingers through my hair and says, "Thinking? About what?"

"Nothing in particular."

-----------------------------

Mithos' POV

"Nothing in particular."

"Hmm…" I stare at him, though he's now avoiding my gaze.

"Look at me, Genis."

He looks up at me, his purple-blue eyes showing innocence but his expression showing embarrassment. Now I'm really curious.

"About what?"

"I…no…just…um, you…are my enemy still a-and…"

"And? Does it really bother you that much?" I pull my hand away slowly, knowing that, if this conversation is going the way he was implying, then I couldn't stay here for long.

"Wha—no!" Genis moves forwards, grabbing the front of my shirt, "I didn't—I don't want…I don't want…you to go…I didn't mean to say it like that!"

"But does it bother you?"

"N-No I-it d-doesn't…" he whispered, looking down at the bedspread.

I look down at him, "Say it again. Say it again while looking me in the eye and not stuttering." My voice is cold and harsh, I see him flinch and feel a pang of guilt. But I need to know how he feels. And the only way I can know for certain is if he looks me in the eyes and says it.

Albeit slowly, he looks up; shyly. An uncertain smile graces his lips…but it turns into a confident one as he straightens up. His eyes meet mine and I smile, "Good. Now…I'll ask you again, does it really bother you that I'm your enemy?"

"No, Mithos. It doesn't." Good. No stuttering. No faltering.

I lean down and press my lips to his forehead in a chaste kiss. I know this is all I can do for now. He is still a child. I do not want to be like Zelos and kiss the one I love before turning on them.

Genis, after I let him go, snuggles closer to me. He seems content.

Very content.

"But…you know…I still wish you were in your Katz costume. I'd like to see you in it."

---------------------------

Heh, I made Mithos have a Katz fetish. Darn all that fanart that has them together as Katz! Oh well, like the last chapter I hope you like this one. As always R&R, CC's welcome too. And, also like the last chapter I won't post up until I get at least three reviews (for the last one I got two but they were VERY GOOD reviews). So if you do review and you know someone else on this site that likes MithosXGenis (Gethos) then let them read and review it too!


	3. Altessas Condition A Suspicious Friend

And here's Chapter Three! Wow, I'm just getting Ideas after ideas for this fic. I'm almost updating it daily!

**To Understand: Part Three**

**Altessas Condition and a Suspicious Friend**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews Good:**

**DraNKa-**Ha! I knew your name sounded familiar! Yes I've seen that piece of artwork, I even have it saved on my computer! You draw really well! I can never get Genis' hair right (There's a link to a picture of him in my bio that I tried to do…but it doesn't look too good) much less Mithos' hair right.

**Rose Beloved-**Aww thanks for the review! I'm glad you thought it was kawaii! As my first time writing Shonen-ai I'm glad people like it! And yes, you reviewed for Chapter One, but meh, your review counts!

**Syntia-**No, I don't plan on Mithos dying, so you don't have to worry about that. And yeah, I beat the game a second time in a row about four days go…I also wrote down what he said, and yes they are really touching words!

And because I now have three reviews…I SHALL UPDATE!

**Reviews Bad: NONE (still)**

**Disclaimer: **No I STILL don't own ToS and Namco STILL does. Oh well, you can't have everything. But I DO own the plot. And NO you still won't get anything if you sue me.

**Authors Note: **Yup my third Chapter! Wow, go me! In this chapter it focuses more on what the four people who leave for Altessas place are doing (which in this fic are Sheena, Regal, Presea, and Raine) and what Zelos and Lloyd are doing. Still trying to work on the angst and yes there will still be MithosXGenis in this chapter if I can fit it in. Oh yeah, there will be slight Colette bashing at one point...sorry, but it fit in with the story line (I normally don't like to bash any characters unless, of course, it's Pronyma).

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Raines POV

"I…see…so that is…all you can do?" I asked, looking on as the Doctor wrapped up the old dwarfs' wounds. The man nodded his head, pushing back strands of his grey hair, and fixing his glasses.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. But at least…he will live. It may take a while. But yes, he will live. As for…Tabatha is she called?"

"Yes."

"She…I don't know. I'm not very good with mechanics but she seems to just have a speaking malfunction. It may do her good to rest."

I nodded my head, "Yes, I see."

"Now then, we talk about payment."

"No, we don't."

The doctor seemed shocked at this, "What?"

"We tell everyone waiting outside first and _then_ we talk about payment…" then, in a lower voice I added, "If you even get any." He looked at me, slightly confused, but followed me out of the room non-the-less.

Out in the main room was Presea, who was sitting over by the door, Regal, who was by the fire, and Sheena, who was sitting on one end of the table twirling one of her cards in midair. They looked up when I walked into the room, their faces showing great concern.

"How is Altessa?" Presea asked, walking over to me, her usual mono-toned voice having some type of emotion behind it.

"Oh…yes, he's going to be fine."

"And Tabatha?"

"Ah…I think so."

"That is not a sure answer, is it?"

"Well she's a doll. I'm not here to fix a doll."

"But at least they're both fine now." Sheena said, smiling and walking over to us.

"Yes, they will be."

"Huhn, well then, about my payment."

"What payment?" Presea asked, looking confused.

"Oh yes, payment. How much do you want?"

"_Well_…"

"Well? How much? Just tell us already. I'm sure Lloyd and the others would like to know how Altessas doing." Sheena said annoyedly, hands on hips, glaring at the doctor.

"Hmm let's see…10,000 for calling me on such short notice, 10,000 for getting me here, 12,000 for the treatment, and 10,000 more for getting me back…totals to be…"

"42,000, exactly." Presea said, staring at the man with blank eyes.

"That much!" Sheena cried out, mouth gaping.

"That's ridiculous!"

"Well that's how much it costs. If you don't pay then you will have to work as my personal assistants for the rest of your life…or at least until you can pay it all off."

"Fine, fine; here's 30,000 Gald." I said, handing over the money.

"But this is 12,000 Gald short!"

"And that's how much you're going to get." Everyone turned to walk out the door, when the doctors whiny voice said;

"But I said…"

Suddenly a very sharp ax was pointed at his head, and a staff was pointed at his back,

"That's how much you're getting." I said, my voice like acid.

The doctor gulped and nodded his head, "Y-Yes ma'am." I smirked at his fear. So much for us working as his assistants…though I personally would love to learn as much as I could about natural healing arts…

"Okay then, since there are no more objections, let's go." I brought my staff down, walking to the door and out into the night. I could hear faint whispers from the rest of the group, "She's quite scary when she gets mad."

"Hah, she's even scarier when she's in Ruin Mode."

"I do not think we will arrive in Flanoir in time, due to this conversation. Let us stay here for the night." Presea said in her mono-toned voice, everyone nodded their heads quickly in agreement.

"Yes, there should be beds enough for everyone. Presea, Sheena and I will sleep in the guest bedroom. Regal, would you mind taking the night watch?" Regal shook his head, "No I don't mind."

"Wait, where will I sleep?"

Everyone turned to face him, "On the floor over there."

The doctor stared them down, and was about to complain but, knowing from past experiences, shut up and walked over to the side of the room, grabbing a blanket off a nearby chair and curling up into a ball.

---------------

Lloyds POV

I couldn't believe it…I just couldn't believe it. Everything I just heard. Everything that Zelos had just told me. It was hard to believe that he, out of everyone in the group, had _that_ happen to him. Even I'm pretty sure my parents would never say that…that Kratos would never say that. Ooh, that felt weird to say…

But still. How could his mother say that to him?

How could he keep that hidden?

How come he was telling me this now?

I stare at him; we're still on the balcony. He's staring up at the snow that's falling from the sky, he then turns back to me, he seems to revert back to his old self, but his eyes…they still show at least some of the pain he had so clearly displayed earlier.

"Zelos?"

He turned to me slowly, he still seemed sad.

"Yes?"

"Um, if it bothers you—the snow, I mean—then we can go back…"

He seemed to think over this for a few seconds, before smiling one of his trademark, philanderer, perverted, smiles.

"But if we go back, we might run into Colette, or even worse that brat—err, I mean Genis!"

I nod my head, "Yeah…and then we'd have to explain where we went…and Colette will be upset because I chose to talk to you instead of her."

"Ah the jealousies of young love." Zelos sighed, wrapping his arms casually around me, pulling me into a loose hug.

"What're you doing?" I asked as he nuzzled his face into the crook in my neck.

"Hmm?" his voice vibrating against my neck made me gasp.

Then I felt something wet run along there.

Wait…that was--

"_Zelooos!_ Agh! K-keep your tongue to yourself!"

Zelos backed up and tried looking innocent, but it didn't work.

"But why not?"

------------------------

Zelos POV

"But why not?"

I could se the blush on the teens face even through the darkness. Heh, looks like my little plan worked. I moved closer to him, since he wasn't answering, and asked again, "Why not?"

"B-Because wh-what if C-Colette o-or Genis comes up here?"

I sighed, "Look, Colette's probably asleep and the brat…well, think about it, after everything that happened last night do you honestly think he would care about the snow?"

Lloyd seemed to think this over, "Ah…well, you're right. He's been kinda out of it…more so than anyone else."

_'Makes ya wonder exactly what kind of relationship Mithos had with the boy.' _I bit my tongue to keep from saying this out loud. As much as I hated that brat, I didn't want to spend an hour debating/talking about him when this could possibly be my only alone time with Lloyd.

"Hmm, but why worry about it now?" I moved in even closer to the brunette, and he unconsciously looked up at me.

Perfect.

I placed a gloved hand on his right cheek, tracing his earlobe gently as I moved my head downwards.

"Z-Zelo—nghmph"

I closed the gap between us, cutting him off. I then slowly moved the hand that had been tracing his ear, behind his head and brought my other hand up around his waist, pushing him, even closer to me.

After a few seconds I felt him shift, moving so that his arms were free. For a split second I thought he was going to push me away…but he didn't.

Instead he wrapped his arms around my neck, finally kissing back. I couldn't help but smile. This was going better than I planned. Who knew opening up like this to him would have so much rewards?

----------------

Lloyds POV

I'm…kissing Zelos.

I'm kissing the philanderer, pervert, flirt, obnoxious Chosen of Tethe'alla.

And I like it.

Oh crap.

What about Colette?

Wait…what _about _Colette?

He broke the kiss and smiled at me, "I see that you enjoyed that." I blushed and nodded my head, "Uh…y-yeah…"

"Let's get back now. I'm sure they're all asleep now." He grabbed my gloved hand with his own and we walked back.

Right before we reached the hotel though, he stopped me and kissed me again. I could also feel his hand moving down to my butt…heh; he's still a pervert.

After a while I pull away and smile up at him, he pulls me into a tight embrace.

"Y-Y'know…I think, out of everyone in this group you're the one I trust the most." He whispers in my ear, I smile.

I shifted so I could look up at him, "Yeah, out of everyone in the group I trust you the most."

He seemed to freeze up when I said this.

But why?

Was he scared?

Unsure?

Or…no, maybe he didn't think it was okay for me to trust him…

He then smiled, "Heh, thanks bud. Now let's get back…I'm freezin!"

I laughed and followed him back inside the hotel.

------------------

Genis POV

I stare at the blond half-elf beside me, face flushed in embarrassment. He just smirks at me and runs his fingers through my hair. We both flinch as wear hear a rather loud 'Bump' come from the room next door, followed by Lloyd saying 'ouch' and Zelos saying 'Sorry hunny'.

"Is that bothering you?" Mithos asked, concern now in his eyes, I blush even more, "Ah-well, it's just, um, y'know Colette...she's had a crush on Lloyd ever since, well, ever since I've met them. She'll be kinda upset when she hears that he's with Zelos."

"So no one knows they're both gay?"

"No…I guessed it, but that was during this journey. I never really noticed before."

_'You didn't or you did and just didn't say anything?' _

Great, the voice in my head was back.

I obviously made a weird face because now Mithos was fully turned to me, his eyes curious, "What's up? You look like you're annoyed about something."

"Eh? No, I'm not…I'm just thinking about what'll happen when they…tell everyone."

Mithos face turned to one of disgust, "Oh I see. Hmph, I don't really care for either of them, and when they do I know it won't effect me but you're right. They may be human but they will be…"

"Treated differently?"

Mithos nodded his head simply, "Yes." He then gave me a strange look, "We will be too, if they found out about us…being…" Then he blushed, turning away from me.

"What?...Oh!"

'_How cute, he considers you his boyfriend. For an evil person he isn't half-bad.' _

"He isn't a bad person he's just misdirected." I clamped my mouth shut as I realized I said this out loud.

Mithos shot me another glance, "Are you sure you're okay? You've been making weird faces and now you're talking to yourself…"

_'He's even observant just like you! My you two make the perfect couple!' _

Now the voice was just being sarcastic and annoying, though this time I managed to keep my mouth shut and my face, as far as I could tell, emotionless.

"It's…nothing, really! Just contradicting my thoughts…that's all."

"Then why does it sound like you're talking to someone else? There are spells like that, where a person can get into your head…" He seemed to be debating something inwardly before moving closer to me, placing his forehead on mine and closing his eyes. His closeness made my face burn even brighter…what was he doing?

'_Hey! Ouch! That hurts! Get out, get out; get out!' _the voice inside my head screamed…I could almost define it as a girls voice.

Wait, a girls voice?

Why a girls—

"Whoa!"

"Huh?"

Before I could even form a sentence…Mithos had been flung off the bed and, if it hadn't been for his wings, he would've crashed into the wall, causing everyone to come running…possibly.

But wait, how did…Mithos…Did I…?

"Are you okay!" I asked, getting up and walking over to him. He got up slowly, seeming shocked, but nodded his head, "Yeah, I'm fine but…what was that?"

"I don't know…one minute you're on the bed with me and the second you're halfway across the room. What were you trying to do anyway?"

"I was trying to see if there was a spell cast on you…but then someone, or something, flung me out…"

"You can…do that?"

"I've been alive for four thousand years, yes I can do more than the average half-elf can."

His face still showed worry though, and I knew that he probably was going to try that weird mind reading thing again.

"I…you shouldn't try whatever it is you did, again. Um, you might get flown across the room again."

-------------

Mithos POV

I stare at the half-elf mage standing in front of me, slightly surprised by the worried--yet knowing--tone in his voice. Something definitely was not right here. Though what really bothered me was that power. Was Genis really that strong? Or was that the power of someone else?

But it couldn't be! If another person had that much control…this wasn't good.

"But if there is someone…using you…then, then that's not good! I have to try and find out who and that's the only way!"

Genis seemed startled by this, then he backed up, almost frightened; "I-I…can handle it…" He was still backing away from me. I retracted my wings and walked towards him, wanting to tell him that that wasn't an option.

Then he reached the bed and fell backwards, landing with a soft 'thud' on the covers.

I walked over to him and, before he was able to sit up, pinned him down to the mattress. He looked up at me, his eyes widening in momentary fear.

I noticed this but knew what I had to do. I leaned down once more, placing my forehead on his own. I felt him struggle but…wait, what was this power?

This immense power…was inside of him…and…and it was…

His…

I pulled away, staring down at him, "What is this?"

"Wh-what is what?"

"This immense power. What…is it?"

------------------

And that's Chapter Three. Now you wonder what the second half of the title for this Chapter means? Anyways, I hope you like this and review please! Yeesh, the ideas just keep flowin' that I might just start updating it regardless…as always R&R--CC is welcome too.


	4. Confusion and Trust

Here it is Chapter Four of To Understand. Now that I think about it, this is actually a really good title for the fic…hmm.

**To Understand: Part Four**

**Confusion and Trust **

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews Good: 4 (wow the most I've EVER had for a Chapter!)**

**Syntia-**I'm glad you liked the Zelloyd part in this chapter. Out of every couple I'll ever write about this is the hardest one for me to get right (mostly because, like I said before, I haven't had Zelos as my highest relationship character so I don't know much of what happens). **  
**

**DraNKa-**Oh, you aren't getting enough sleep? Ack! I'm sorry! Um, well, here's the next Chapter…and yes I'd like it if Mithos helped me get to sleep at night too…

**Mizuki Hikari-**Well…okay! Here's the next Chapter! I hope you like it!

**Viaroura Fox-**Yup it's a Gethos fan-fic…not only that, it's my first and one of the only ones I've found on this site. And this one should have a happy ending! And hey! You reviewed for my other ToS fan fic too! Well, anyways I hope you like this Chapter too…**  
**

**Reviews Bad: (Still none! That's good!)**

**Disclaimer: **_sigh_ I don't own ToS, Namco does, so please don't sue me.

**Authors Note: **Well, I'm on Part Four now. Now it's back to Genis and Mithos' POV's. Though I have to say this gets kind of weird at one point--darn me and my overly imaginative mind. But, well, anyway…I hope you like it like the other three chapters. And what exactly is this 'immense power' inside of Genis?

-----------------

Genis' POV

"This immense power. What…is it?"

I gulp softly, staring up at my friend. I didn't want to be like the rest and lie to him…but…he would worry if I said that…that…actually, what would I say?

_'Nothing, don't say a thing! Oww…why'd you hold me back anyway? It's because of that that he's worried!' _

I shook my head, wanting so badly to tell the voice that she--I was pretty sure the voice was a she now--was wrong.

_'How dare you think that I'm wrong! And by the way, he's pinning you down to the mattress and he's really close to you…hmm, naughty, naughty.' _

I flushed crimson at her words, looking anywhere but at Mithos' curious/worried gaze.

"Look at me, Genis." He whispered, unpinning one of my arms so that he could turn my face towards him.

I do and he seems to realize exactly how close we are. But it doesn't make him move he just blushes.

"I…" my voice seems to not be working, I'm so embarrassed and he's…so close…my mind getting fuzzy.

_'My you really are a naughty boy. But really, you have to tell him not to get so close.' _

"What?" I barely whisper this, Mithos looks at me questioningly, moving to pin my wrist back on the bedspread. I flush as he leans down closer to me.

"What's wrong…? Why won't you tell me?" His grip tightens, and I wince. He notices, but doesn't let go. Now I'm scared.

_'Look just tell him you're uncomfortable with him so close!' _

"I…can't…"

"You can't what?"

"L-let go…it…hurts…"

He immediately lets go of my wrists and sits up. He's now straddling my waist, looking down at me, his turquoise eyes filled with concern.

"Genis…" he pleads. It makes me want to cry for some reason. I don't want him to worry, but I don't want to lie and say everything's fine if it isn't…

"Mithos…I can't…"

He bends down, touching my face gently with his fingertips, making me blush again.

"Tell me why."

"Because you'd worry and I don't want you to worry."

"But I don't mind…worrying about you…about someone…I care about." He smiled, his eyes softened as he twirled a strand of hair around his finger.

---------------------

Mithos' POV

"But I don't mind…worrying about you…about someone…I care about." I smiled down at the boy, twirling a strand of his silver-white hair around my finger, loving the feeling of it. It was always so soft and smooth. A little unkempt but that was to be expected.

He seems so…confused. I guess he must be. Even though he's mature and intelligent beyond his years, he's still only twelve years old. Whereas I'm…four thousand years older than he is. He hasn't even gone through puberty yet and he's already in a relationship.

But then I have to question if this really is a relationship at all.

The fact that we're on opposite sides of the same battle puts us in a bind for time we can see each other in. His friends would start getting suspicious after a while…and Pronyma, gods if she found out--

"Um…" 

Genis' soft voice snaps me out of whatever state I was in, "Ah--yes?" I focus on him and notice he seems…more subdued. He's actually rather relaxed and--so cute…so…

NO!

I can't think like that!

But…he's…so…vulnerable, I wonder…has he ever been kissed before?

I lean down, gently placing my forehead on his as I had done earlier. I see him freeze in worry, I shake my head, "No…I'm fine…" He then blushes, obviously noticing something in my voice.

I brush my lips over his lightly…

But I can't!

I promised myself I wouldn't be like Zelos and kiss the one I love before I--

But it was just too tempting. Especially when he gasped.

I back away slightly; his expression is one of slight bewilderment, and…something else. I smirk and lean in again, brushing my lips over his once more. This time I add a little pressure to them.

I backed up slightly, smiling at him once more and was about to lean down and kiss him…

When, thanks to my angelic hearing, I heard footsteps.

Crap.

"What…is it…?" Genis asked as I hurriedly got off of him. I stare over at the doorway.

"Mithos…?" his weak voice calls out from the bed as he sits up.

"Footsteps."

Genis' eyes widened, "Wha--whose?"

"I dunno…it's…who else is here besides Lloyd and Zelos?"

"Colette."

"Colette."

"She…might just be…checking on Lloyd. She hasn't…seen him all day." 

"Regardless, I…might have to leave soon." I couldn't look at him as I said this. I knew he would be sad, and I didn't want to see it.

I hated it when he was sad.

The footsteps got louder, but they stopped before they reached Genis' room. So Colette really was just going to go see Lloyd.

"Are Lloyd and Zelos sharing a room?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! I got lucky and didn't have to share. Colette didn't have to share either. So, no, she won't find it weird that they're in the same room. Though…" suddenly his face turned a bright shade of red. He shook his head vigorously murmuring, "Shut up" to himself.

"What?" then I smirked, "Oh, I see. You're worried she'll find them in a compromising position?"

Almost as soon as I said that, a yelp could be heard from the other room, followed by a 'Wait Colette!'

A few minutes in silence we could see Colette running out in the snow by Genis' window. She seemed to be extremely pale. Lloyd was seen following after her, along with Zelos, who was following at a much slower pace. The two boys' clothes, from what I could tell, seemed slightly askew, as if they had thrown them on in a hurry.

Which I'm sure they did.

------------------------

Genis POV

_'Well this certainly will be amusing' _

I flinched, "Could you just leave me alone for a second?" I realized a little too late that I had said this outloud…and Mithos was now staring at me.

"You want me to leave?"

"Wha--no! Not you!"

"Not me…? Then who were you talking to?" His eyes, which had held some humor in the events that had just transpired, now were icy cold…like Yggdrasills' eyes.

Oh wait, they were one in the same…it was still hard for me to believe that.

"…Uh…well…it's…"

_'Oh great…he's coming over here again. Thanks a bunch Genis! Do you know what'll happen if he so happens to find me?'_

I bit my tongue to keep from answering. I really did want to know but…

Mithos was now standing in front of me. He was a good two inches taller than I was by now…why was I noticing this?

"Um…"

"Genis, what's going on in that mind of yours? You're a smart person, can't you tell what's going on? Can't you tell if someone's controlling you? And if you can…then why are you letting them?"

"Them? Well…I don't really…have…control…"

"Control?" 

"N-No…I don't…she's just…" Suddenly my vision blurred. The ground seemed to be rising up under me…was that normal?

_'Genis! Get a hold of yourself! You're going to faint if you don't!' _

Too late…

I was already falling.

"Genis…!" I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me, breaking my fall. Good, Mithos caught me. It would've hurt if I hit the floor…

"Genis…are you okay? What happened?" Mithos' voice held urgency in it, but it was getting farther and farther away.

_'Genis! Wake up! Come on!' _ I felt a hand shaking my shoulder…

"Nnn…five more minutes…"

_'NO! not five more minutes! You need to get out of here!' _

"Huh?" I got up and looked around. The first thing I noticed was that I wasn't in the hotel room. I was in…wait, was this a…

mirror?

_'Ah good! You're awake! Are you…okay? You don't look hurt.' _I turned to look beside me, there, standing there was a girl with white hair and silver eyes garbed in a plain white dress that seemed slightly too big for her. She looked to be around eight or nine years old.

"Who…? Wait, a sec…your voice--you're the same girl that--"

_'Talks to you in your head? Yes, I am. My name is Feral, nice to meet you finally, Genis.'_

"So…Feral, where are we?"

_'In Nifhliems Mirror.' _

"Nifhliems Mirror? So is this why the floors and ceiling and the walls are reflecting us?'

Feral nodded her head, _'Yes that's the reason' _

"You're…you're talking but your lips aren't moving. Why is that?"

_'Remember when Mithos said you might be put under a curse by someone?'_

"Uh, yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"

_'I…am put under a curse…or rather, a bind. It…prevents me from taking my human form in the world that you live in.'_

"A bind? So you're…bound inside this mirror?"

Feral nodded her head, _"Yes, I am. My, aren't you smart?' _

"Well you said yourself that you couldn't take human form in the world I live and this isn't the world I live in."

Feral nodded her head, _'Well, yes that's true. But since this isn't the world you live in then you have to get out.' _

"Ah--but how exactly do I do that? I don't see an exit anywhere."

_'No…but there is a way out.' _

"And where would that be? I'm sure Mithos is worried about me."

_'Yes, I'm sure he is. Here.' _Feral held out an item…it was a--actually what was it?

"What is that?"

It was spherical in shape, and looked about the same size as a Cruxis Crystal. But it was clear, almost white in hue.

_'A Cruxis Crystal.' _

I gawked at her, "A Cruxis Crystal? What are you doing with a Cruxis Crystal?"

_'I…It was…my masters…when he was alive a little over twelve years ago. Back then…it was a regular exsphere…but he…after he…after he found out about his illness, he gave it to me for safekeeping. And…as you can probably tell from my appearance, I'm not a normal human, elf, or half-elf. That is why it turned into a Cruxis Crystal.' _

"Um…so…your master…he's dead so why did he give his exsphere to you? I mean, isn't he still 'alive' in it or something?"

Feral looked from me to the exsphere in her hand, _'Yes he is still figuratively alive. But he told me that, whomever I choose, I should give this to them. So take it.' _

"Um…okay. But I can't really wear it since I already have an exsphere and I don't really want to get rid of it…" I placed a hand over the blue exsphere on my right hand.

_'Don't worry. A Cruxis Crystal, when destroyed, can fuse with an exsphere. Here, I'll do that now.' _Feral closed her eyes, an eerie black glow surrounded her and the Cruxis Crystal. After a few seconds the crystal shattered, swirling in a small cyclone before draining into my exsphere.

A strange power merged with the warmness I usually felt from my Exsphere. It wasn't unfriendly…just foreign. A bright light surrounded me, blinding me momentarily. As the light ebbed away I glanced down at my exsphere. Instead of the normal blue it was now a transparent blue. **(1)**

A burning sensation on my back caused me to wince and look behind me. I gasped. There, in the reflecting wall behind me…was my reflection. The only difference was the pair of translucent wings there. The were blue, like Kratos' wings. The only difference was that they were much lighter, kind of like the ocean on a foggy earlier morning day.

"Wi--Wings!" I said, almost as if I couldn't believe it. Now I had wings, just like Colette, Mithos, Kratos, and Yuan.

_'Now I wasn't expecting that to happen…then again, I never tried to do that before. Hmm, I guess they're useful in a way. Now then, the way you get out of here is…'_

"Is?" I ask, turning my attention back to Feral. She pointed upwards, towards the glass like roof of the room.

_'Now that you have that Cruxis Crystal, you can imagine anything you want here.'_

"So all I have to do is imagine my hotel room and I'll be there?"

_'Yes.' _

"Then how are my wings useful?'

_'The image has always appeared on the ceiling for Kloitz whenever he visited this place so I'm assuming it'll do the same for you. Your wings will help you fly up there.' _

"I have to fly through the mirror?"

_'Yes you do. Now try it.' _

I nodded my head and closed my eyes, imagining the wooden floor, the bed, the small desk, the mirror, and Mithos. I opened my eyes and looked up. There in the mirror above me was a swirl of different colors. The quickly took different shapes and there was the hotel room.

_'Okay then, you may go now.' _

"Ah--yeah…okay…" I spread my wings out, flinching slightly, and rose upwards, surprised by how easy it was to use these wings.

_'I'll be speaking to you again shortly.' _

------------------------

Mithos' POV

I sit on the edge of the bed, staring at the motionless form of Genis. He'd better wake up soon or else I'll have to leave him. I glance warily out the window. About an hour earlier I had seen Lloyd and Zelos, along with a rather upset looking Colette, walking back through the snow. Thankfully they weren't paying any attention to their surroundings. But none the less, I had made sure to place Genis carefully in the bed, making sure to tuck the covers around him to make it look like he had done it himself.

It was about an hour or two to sunrise and I knew that Pronyma was probably suspicious of my whereabouts. I felt remotely sorry for leaving Kratos there to make up an excuse. She probably bugged him to his wits end.

And Kratos mad was not a good thing.

I turn my gaze back to the slumbering boy. His right hand, the one that his Exsphere was mounted on, was sticking out of the covers. I reached my hand out and gently stroked it. I then take it in my hand and run my fingers over the Exsphere. He had told me once that this was the 'life' of an old woman he considered a good friend.

Wait…what was that? Something was…swirling around in his exsphere…come to think of it, was it always this clear before?

Suddenly the sleeping Genis awoke.

"Mithos?" He asked, his voice slightly hoarse as he sat up, looking around the room with sleepy eyes.

"Am I back?"

"Back? You never left…well, you passed out for about an hour but…"

"So I'm in the hotel room? With you?"

"Yes, yes you are." I smile at him, squeezing his hand. Then I remember, I have to leave.

He seems to notice and his eyes widen, he squeezes my hand even harder in response, "You're…leaving soon?"

I nod my head, "Yes, I have to. It's almost sunrise."

"But…"

"I'm still the leader of Cruxis. What if your friends were to come back and see me in here with you? What would they think?"

"That I betrayed them."

"And you have no plans on doing so, do you?"

"N-No..."

"You...are unsure?"

"I…want to be with you. I won't lie about that. But I also know that if I side with you I--my friends…would be hurt."

"Yes they would." I took a deep breath, "That's one reason why I…do not want you to join me." Genis seems surprised, almost shocked at my statement.

"But…that's…not the only reason is it?" he seemed certain of this, and I smiled.

"Yes that's true."

"Then what's the other reason?"

"I…love you." I leaned in, placing another kiss on his forehead before lifting my hand and touching his cheek, to which he nuzzled it affectionately.

"I love you…that's why I do not want you to join me." Even though he was young he seemed to understand what I meant.

I pulled my hand away reluctantly, not wanting to leave him here…alone. He looked at me, his eyes were sad and yet…he seemed to understand now more than he had a few hours ago.

"Mithos…when I see you again--"

"I want you to promise me something." I knew I had cut him off, but I knew at least some of what he was saying. He numbly nodded his head, not daring to ask why I hadn't let him finish.

"When…when I see you again--no--when we see eachother again, we very well may have to fight each other. I…don't want to fight you. But I know that I may wind up having to so I ask this of you."

Genis nodded his head again, asking me silently to continue.

"I want you to fight against me with everything you've got…even if…even if one of us dies."

Genis seemed saddened by this, but oddly enough, his demeanor strengthened. He nodded his head, his eyes showing some fierce pride.

"And I will do that. It might hurt me to fight you even though I…love you…but I will because you asked me to."

I nodded my head and backed up slightly from the bed, drawing out my wings. I then took a step towards the window and opened it. I was about to leave when I felt…something cling to my back. I gasped and glanced over my shoulder.

It was Genis.

He had his face buried in my back, my wings protruding messily on either side.

"Genis…I have to go."

"I know." Came his muffled reply.

I twisted my body around, and soon had him in my arms.

"Genis…what more do you want?"

"…I don't know…I don't want you to die…"

"And I don't want you to die either."

He looked up at me, needless to say the look in his eyes shocked me. He was sad, angry, and worried at the same time. Such a strange mix of emotions on such a young boy.

"Martel…" he whispered. Now I was confused.

"Martel? What about…my sister?"

"Your sister died, you want her back…what if we…brought her back in a different way?"

"I've been doing this for four thousand years--"

"And it's never worked once."

"Genis," I whispered, my tone taking a slight turn to anger, "I do not want to fight with you over this."

"But if I find a better way…if I find a way to bring back her soul to her body…then I…will tell you."

I sighed and shook my head, "This is the best way for me to do it. Now Genis, if you do, meraculously find a better way, then by all means tell me. Some may think I don't care about those who died for this cause, along with the exspheres cause, but I--can't say I care about every single one of them. But like I said before, 'Everything comes with a price'. And yes, I know you hate me for it…for saying that…but it's important that you see how I feel about this. I can't just change my ways."

Genis didn't say a word. He seemed to be thinking it over. In the end he backed up and shook his head, "I…I'm keeping you…too long. You need to get back like you said."

I don't know if I was imagining things, but he sounded a bit withdrawn.

"Genis…"

"You said yourself you needed to leave! So…um…yeah, leave…you have to. Or else you'll get in trouble."

I nodded my head, turning back around flying out the window. Though honestly, I would have loved to say more.

_'What if we brought her back a different way?' _Those words kept ringing through my head as I flew off into the pre-dawn sky.

"That'd…be nice…Martel, I miss you."

------------------------

**(1)**--the ideas for the color and look of Mithos' wings is brought to you by the pic called 'anotherwingsofGenis' by DraNKa on Deviant Art! Whooh! I'm using one of your pics for an inspiration--I hope you don't mind!

Uh anyway, this is the end of Part Four. As always R&R CC is welcome. Oh yes, I _looove_ reviews. But as of now it doesn't matter to me how many I get but I'd like to have at least two or more. Anyway…the next Part should be focusing mildly on the Tower of Salvation betrayal (though not going into much detail) and of course some things will be altered to fit the story line.


	5. Behind the Facade

And here's Part Five of To Understand! Wow, I didn't really think that this fic would have this many reviews (it currently has more reviews than another fic I started before this)! But I'm glad as always!

**To Understand: Part Five**

**Behind the Façade **

**Good Reviews: 2 **

**DraNKa-**You'd draw something for me? Wow I'd love for you to! I've seen most of your artwork on Deviant Art and you draw so well! No one has ever drawn anything for me (besides my older sister).

**Mizuki Hikari-**Here ya go! The next Chapter, I hope you like it!

**  
Bad Reviews: NONE (Woo! Fifth time in a row!)**

**Disclaimer: **No…I still don't own ToS, sadly enough. I just own the plot, OC's and…my name. Oh yes, Feral is officially going to be my sidekick from now on…

**Authors Note: **Yay! Part Five…Hmm, now was anyone confused by the 'stuck in a mirror' thing in the last Chapter? Can anyone guess who Feral is? And is she who you think she is? With that said this chapter is basically wrapping up events in Flanoir. And, as you will soon realize, Genis has a nasty temper in this, which is bad, very bad.

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Genis' POV

I opened my eyes slowly, the early morning sun falling through the single window in the room. I sighed and slowly lifted myself up off of the warm comfort of the bed. I sighed, staring out at the snow covered town. It had snowed just last night, but now it had stopped and everything was blanketed in it. That's when I noticed it.

Something glittering and rainbow in color on the windowsill.

Could it be?

I get up hurriedly from the bed and walk over to the window. There, laying ever so gently on the mantle, is…a feather.

One of the feathers from Mithos' wings.

"Mithos…" I whisper, picking up the feather gently. It was so fragile looking, almost as if it could crumble at my very touch.

Then I remembered, I had wings of my own.

Or did I? Was that just a dream?

_'No it wasn't just a dream, Genis. Look at your Exsphere.' _

I glanced down at my right hand…and there it was. My Exsphere.

The only difference was the color. It was a lighter shade of blue than normal.

"So it wasn't a dream…but then, does that mean…?"

_'Would you like to try and see if you can call out your wings?'_

"I…guess. But it hurt the last time I used them."

_'Well that must be because you aren't used to them yet!' _

I sighed, twirling the single feather between my thumb and forefinger. I held it up to the light and watched at how it sparkled and shone in the pure morning sun.

"It's hard to believe something like this could come from something so evil." I murmured more to myself than anyone else.

Suddenly a loud cry of "WHAT" could be heard from the lobby. Oh joy, it sounded like my sister.

I sighed and walked towards the door, "I wonder what happened now."

_'what do you think happened?'_

"Not again…"

_'Oh come now, you aren't stupid…'_

"I know that but…"

_'I'll ask you again, what do you think happened?'_

"Raine figured out about Zelos and Lloyd."

_'Hmm, maybe…'_

"How come you act like you know everything?"

_'Remember I'm stuck in a mirror.'_

"Yeah, I remember. But what does that have to do with anything?"

_'I…if I want to, I can see what you see, remember?' _

"Oh…but that still--"

_'You better hurry up. I'm sure your sister will want to know if you heard anything.' _

"Heard any…?" I blushed crimson at the realization of what Feral meant.

"Eww…disturbing image! Thanks a bunch Feral."

_'Your welcome!'_

I sighed and walked out into the hallway. Immediately I saw Raine, her back was turned to me. She seemed to be in the middle of talking with Zelos and Lloyd. I saw Sheena and Presea trying to comfort Colette across the room, she seemed to be crying. And Regal was just standing off to the side looking rather pale faced. He obviously never saw Raine this angry before.

"…I can't believe you didn't take into consideration who was here! And Zelos you should have known better!"

"Hey sis, what's going on?"

_'Like you don't already know' _

"Oh, Genis!"

Colette stopped crying and looked over at me, so did Sheena and Presea. Regals face just got ten times paler and both Zelos and Lloyds eyes got big.

I guess they forgot that I too, had stayed here last night.

"Um…why is everyone staring at me?"

_'Hee, this'll be fun!" _

"Genis…um…did you hear anything just now?"

"Um…no, but you were shouting about something."

"Oh--heh-heh, I see."

"…You were yelling at Zelos and Lloyd about something about taking into consideration 'who was here'…or something like that. And you look like you've just seen a ghost, are you sure everything's okay?"

_'Oh my, but she _can't_ see ghosts…'_

Raine closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again, "No, Genis. Nothing's okay. You should know that by now."

"Yeah I kinda realized that. But you're talking universally. I meant what's happening right now. And you look worried…was I not supposed to _hear_ something?"

_'Oh good one Genis.'_

I couldn't help but smirk when I saw Raines eyes widen to the size of saucers.

"You mean you…" Lloyd suddenly said from his position next to Zelos, his voice not more than a squeak.

"I what?"

"Genis…did you…what time did you go to bed last night?"

_'Now I wonder what that has to do with anything? Hmm? What are you planning on saying? That you spent practically the entire night in Mithos' arms? What would they say then, hmm?'_

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, and knew that I was blushing.

Oh great.

Now they were going to ask me why.

"…Um, why do you want to know?"

"Genis, just answer the question."

"Um…not till late. Why?"

"Oh," Raine turned back to face Lloyd and Zelos. I could tell that, even though her back was turned, she had given them one of her 'looks' which said that they were in major trouble later on. That and the fact that they had both flinched at the exact same time.

Raine then turned slowly back to me, "Okay then, you didn't go to bed until late…but did you…" her pale face suddenly heated up considerably, "…did you hear anything…disturbing?"

"Disturbing?"

Like maybe the voice in my head? Like I could say that.

_'Hey!'_

"Yes…any noises…"

"Um…not that I can…remember. Did Lloyd and Zelos hear something that I didn't? Cuz if they did then I should have heard it too since my room was _right next door_ to theirs."

Oh gods, I was just killing them. Yeesh, if I had known anyones face could get that red before I sure knew it could now.

_'Okay you're being mean now!'_

I bit my tongue to keep from responding yet again to Ferals voice…which made me yelp out in pain.

"Ah--are you okay?" Raine asked, almost sounding glad that I had changed the subject…even though I hadn't meant to.

"I'm fine…just bit my tongue." I said through my hand, which was covering my mouth.

"Oh…um…"

"I'm fine." I said, removing my hand and smiling at her, "Now what about these weird noises again?"

"Oh gods…how could you not have heard them?" Zelos asked, more to himself than to anyone else in the room.

Raine whirled around and, in response to that question, whacked him on the head.

"Oww…! Hey I was just sayin'!"

"Shut it, Zelos. I don't think you have the right to say anything at this point!" Sheena growled from her position beside Colette.

"Look, I love ya an' all, Sheena, but this really doesn't have anything to do with you either."

I don't think I had ever heard Zelos speak to Sheena that way before. Quite honestly it startled me. It also seemed to startle just about everyone else there.

"And I know that you…you…" Sheena gave him a hateful glare before running out the door.

"Was that really necessary, Zelos?" Raine asked, shaking her head from side to side as Colette, along with Presea, followed Sheena out the door.

"How should I know? Everyone's just blowing up in everyone else's face! How the hell do you figure that?"

"He's…got a point." Lloyd whispered from next to Zelos, before closing his eyes and waiting for whatever was to come.

"And you're agreeing with him." Raines voice was like acid.

"She has a point. You're just agreeing with him because…" Regal stopped and looked over at me, his face showing concern and regret for almost saying something he wasn't supposed to.

_'You know if I didn't know any better I'd say that this is one of those times that they degrade you.' _

"Huh?"

_'I mean, because of your age they…don't think you know what's going on. They think you're still 'innocent.'_

"Oh…"

"Genis…um…I'd like it if you left the room--I mean--can you go see if the girls are okay?" Raine asked, snapping me out of my conversation with Feral. Thank god she wasn't paying attention.

"Um…but why?"

"Because this is something we adults have to talk to with Zelos and Lloyd alone." Raine said, her voice gentle and somewhat pleading. Regal just nodded his head in agreement.

"What did Zelos and Lloyd do wrong?"

"Look kiddo. Your sis is right. Just go and do check on the girls." Zelos muttered, shaking his head.

_'Are you really going to listen to someone like him? Some who you know is going to become a traitor?'_

"Ah…but I just want to know why. If you tell me why then I'll go and check on 'the girls'." Raine, along with Regal, Zelos, and Lloyd, gasped softly at the hint of…malice in my voice. But I couldn't help it. Feral was right; they were treating me like a kid again even though I was maturer than Lloyd and Zelos.

I didn't like it one bit.

_'Well it seems you're agreeing with me in one aspect. But they don't seem to happy now do they?'_

"You don't seem very happy right now. Did I ask the wrong thing?" Now they seemed more concerned than anything else.

"Genis…it's not that…"

"Then what _is_ it?"

Okay…where was this anger coming from?

_'Genis…' _there it was. That same calming voice again. Did that mean that I…that something was going to happen that I was going to regret?

"…Genis…are you…okay? I…what's wrong?"

_'Genis…calm down…see, now they're worried about you.' _

"Um…nothing. Nothing's wrong! I just want to know what exactly they did but I'll go to my room for now…besides, I think I left something in there anyway…" I turned around hurriedly, not wanting to look at my friends' shocked expressions any longer.

"Genis! Something is wrong, what is it?"

"Yeah Genis, you don't normally act like this! What's bugging you?"

I could tell that both Raine and Lloyd were worried about me. But honestly nothing was wrong. I just got annoyed, that was all.

"It's nothing…really, it isn't."

"Look, you may be a brat and I could probably care less about you but…those mood swings…aren't healthy." Zelos said, concern finally shining through his mask.

_'Genis you need to calm down and here really isn't the place to do it…besides I have something to tell you…'_

Now my head was starting to hurt.

"Look I know you guys are worried an' all but trust me I'm fine. Though now I have a headache. Can I go now?"

Gods my head was pounding…but why?

_'Genis please just go to your room now! Don't wait for a response! If you do--what happened to Mithos could happen to your sister!'_

I nodded my head, though it was barely noticeable to Raine and the others, and turned walking at a faster pace down the hall, ignoring whatever it was that Raine said.

I reached my hotel room door and walked in, locking it.

"Okay now tell me what you wanted to tell me. I'm sure Raine's worried about me now."

_'Sigh…okay then. Your temper…if you get angry like you did now, you'll end up having a headache like you have now. And that causes you to lash out like you did to Mithos last night.' _

"But I didn't have a headache last night."

_'No you didn't. But that's because it was the first time. Don't expect any of the other times to be like that.' _

"Fine I won't. But how do I get rid of my headache? It's just getting worse and worse…" now I was leaning up against my bed, rubbing my forehead.

_'I…see…well first you need to calm down. So try taking deep breaths.' _I nodded my head and inhaled deeply, then exhaled. I did this for about five or six times…and it still wasn't working.

In fact, it was just making my head hurt more.

"Not working…not…working…"

I heard someone banging on my door, it was obviously Raine. Great, what if she hears me talking to Feral? Or should I say, talking to myself.

"I hate…worrying people but…"

_'Genis! Ack, what is this? Genis hey! Snap out of it!' _

I was getting up and I could feel it…but I wasn't controlling my body.

"Feral? What…what are you doing?"

_'I'm not doing anything! You're doing it! Oh gods, don't go near the mirror! That'd hurt if you--'_

The shattering of glass rang throughout the room. That and the door being broken down. I blinked, staring at my reflection in the jagged pieces of the mirror that I had broken….

That I had broken with my…

Bare hands.

"Genis--Oh gods! Your hand!"

My headache was gone.

"My head…?"

I turned around slowly looking back at my sister and my friends. Wait, when'd Sheena, Colette, and Presea get back? And wait, the mirror wasn't the only thing broken. The chair was too.

_'I told you not to go near the mirror but did you listen to me…? No, and now you're hurt.' _

"I'm sorry…"

"Sorry for what, Genis? I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't realize…are you okay?"

"I am now."

"But what…caused you to…?"

"I…"

_'Don't answer them,'_

"Um…"

"Genis?"

"It's nothing really. I just…I guess I got pissed off…and…broke the mirror."

"You did more than just break the mirror, Genis." Presea said, her usual monotone voice showing a hint of worry.

"Huh?"

"You broke the chair, and…this." Presea held up a picture of--

"Ah! I broke that?"

"Oh hey! That's the group picture we took in front of Meltokio when Mithos was…with us…" Lloyd glanced over at me, worry filling his eyes.

_'Oh no, that's not good. You don't remember anything about breaking those two things do you?'_

"N…no…I don't…"

"Genis?"

"Ah--um--did I really break those?"

"You mean you don't remember?"

I gulped. Great, this was just great. I did not mean to say that.

_'Oh well, you already did. Now what are you going to do?'_

And quite honestly I had no idea.

No idea at all…

-------------------------------------

**Feral: **That's it for part Five. Now when are you going to make me show up again?

**Me: **…I don't know…maybe next Chapter?

**Feral: **You'd better not be lying --eyes glowing black, creating a huge black orb of energy in front of her--or else…

**Me: **Urk…um, well, yeah, that's it for Part five, as she said…so…um…R&R please! I love hearing from people

--Backs away slowly from the twitching Feral--

**  
**


	6. An Enemies Love

Ah yes, here's Part Six--or Chapter Six of To Understand! I hope you like it like the last two chapters.

**To Understand: Part Six**

**An Enemies Love**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: 2**

**Hiranieas**-Hee-hee, I'm glade you think it's interesting. Yes camp does get in the way sometimes…but I also think it's cuz I update quickly. But oh well, thanks for the review and here's Chapter Six—enjoy!

**DraNKa-**Well, yes, you will be getting to read a new chapter before you go on holidays…so here it is! I hope you like it!

**Bad Reviews: NONE  
**

**Me: **Now Feral, have you cooled down enough to do the disclaimer?

**Feral: **Yes I have, and yes I'll do the disclaimer. Harmony283 does not, and never will, own Tales of Symphonia or any of its characters. She just owns the plot…and me.

**Authors Note: **Thank you Feral. Now then…um, this chapter focuses more on what Mithos is going through when he arrives back in Vinheim. Oh yes, and this also shows how Pronyma created those…really strange traps. Hmm, I've always wondered how she did it. Oh yes, and Pronyma does have a 'crush' on Mithos so she's going to be bugging him constantly on where he was and Mithos--who of course doesn't like her--gets annoyed…Now I feel sorry for Kratos (who had to put up with her the entire time Mithos was gone).

**Feral: **And whose fault was that? You're the writer.

**Me: **Be quiet. - -;

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Mithos' POV

I sighed, stretching my arms over my head. I had just arrived back in Vinheim about five minutes ago and, for the first time in about four thousand years, I felt like I needed sleep.

Why?

So I could escape reality at least for a little while…so I could at least have one more dream about Genis…even though I knew…I knew I couldn't be near him anymore.

"Genis…" I whispered looking out the window of my room.

"Lord Yggdrasil!"

I flinched. That was Pronyma.

"Lord Yggdrasill! Where were you? I was so worried!"

I sighed and turned around to face the worried looking Pronyma who was standing in my doorway.

"Didn't Kratos tell you?"

"Yes, he did. He said that you had gone out to think…but I don't believe him."

"And what would make you doubt his words?"

"Because…sir…there are plenty enough places to think here!"

"Well I needed fresh air and right now I'm glad I went out. Can you please leave me alone for now?"

"But sir!"

"I need to rest. I know that may seem strange to you, but I need to rest. And rest requires that no one bother me!"

"…Sir…"

I sighed, "Fine, if you're so dead set on doing something then go and get Kratos, I need to speak with him about…something."

"I…yes my lord." Pronyma turned and transported out of the room.

"Feh, Kratos, you really need to sound more convincing…" I muttered to myself before walking over to the huge king sized bed on the other side of the room. I hardly ever used it…so why didn't I just get rid of it?

Well, for one it was excruciatingly expensive--so said Yuan when he bought for me as a peace offering--and I couldn't just throw that much money away.

And two, it was extremely comfortable and nothing would go in that space in this large room anyway.

And that would bug me

Really, really, bug me.

Not that anyone, beside myself, used this room.

"So, how did it go?"

I jumped in surprise, whirling around to face a very amused, and yet somewhat annoyed, looking Kratos.

"How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me!"

"I didn't though. The door was open and I saw you just standing there."

"Wait…I just sent Pronyma to go look for you."

"Hmm, really? Well I'm already here…so…"

"Urgh, if you really wanna know what happened then close the door. I don't want Pronyma overhearing."

"You know, she might already have an idea of where you were last night. She wouldn't believe me when I told her that you had just gone to think." Kratos said, making no move to close the door.

"She told me."

"I see…now answer my question: how did it go?"

"It went…well."

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Kratos' POV

"It went…well."

I could tell, though, that it hadn't gone as smoothly as he would have liked.

"Oh did it? Was he surprised to see you?"

Mithos shifted his eyes downward, as if he were thinking. He…it didn't seem like he wanted to answer that.

"Um…well, yeah, he kinda was…"

" 'Kinda'? You don't seem…too happy about it though."

"I-It's nothing! He just, um, said something that he didn't mean…but he didn't know I was there so…"

"What did he say?"

"He said…that he…"

"That he…?"

"Hated me."

"But does he?"

Mithos smiled, yet again catching me off guard. How could Genis…how could a twelve year old boy have that much effect on him?

"No he doesn't!"

"…So he…"

"Returned my feelings…yeah." He sighed and looked out the window, his face showing concern but also happiness at the same time. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little happy for him. Who wouldn't be? He's been alone for four thousand years and to top it all off, Yuan just made it know that he was a traitor…and I am, as well.

Not that he knows that.

But he might suspect it.

"Mithos?"

"Hmm? Ah, sorry…I was just thinking about what you said earlier…this really is going to play a part in…what will happen from here on out, isn't it?"

"Yes it is."

Then the thought struck me. If Genis did return his feelings, then did that mean Mithos asked him to join him?

Or had the boy already joined?

Even if I were to ask…Mithos would probably not tell me. Either that or he'd lie.

"What's wrong, Kratos? Your face is paler than normal."

"Oh…hmm, I was just wondering…" this was harder than I thought.

"Wondering about what? You initiated this conversation and yet you won't go through with it."

"Didn't you say yourself that you sent Pronyma to find me?"

"Well yes. But something seems to be bothering you now. Why don't I return the favor and listen to you now."

"Well, yes something is bothering me. Something I just noticed a few seconds ago, actually."

"And that would be?" Mithos didn't seem to be catching on to what I was hinting at…maybe Genis really didn't join. Or maybe I was just thinking too far ahead.

"I was thinking…if Genis returned your…feelings…then wouldn't you want him to be on the same side as you…?"

"Lloyd is your son, isn't he? And yet you do not want him joining our side. Why?"

I blinked, what did that have to do with anything?

"Well?"

"I…I don't believe it's the right course of action for him. I'm afraid that…he could get hurt, or worse."

"Parental Love…that's why."

"I…yes, that…yes…but what does that have to do with…?" then I got it.

"You…love him…that much?" It seemed almost too hard to believe. Mithos could actually find enough love in that corrupted heart of his to love another person.

Mithos' face turned a deep shade of crimson and his eyes widened as he turned to look at me.

"I-I—you don't have to sound so surprised!"

-------------------

Mithos' POV

"I-I—you don't have to act so surprised!"

But he still was staring at me like that, eyes slightly wide, his face showing shock that he wasn't even trying to hide.

"Kratos, can you at least stop staring at me?"

"L-Lord Yggdrasill, I couldn't find—oh, Kratos…ah, I see you're already here."

"Pronyma, get out!"

I really didn't mean to yell…I honestly didn't. But if I didn't get my point across for Pronyma to leave then she wouldn't.

"Mithos…this is nothing to get so worked up about."

"I'm not the one who's getting worked up over it. Lest I remember it was you who was giving me that bewildered look a few minutes ago. And Pronyma…"

"Y-Yes Lord Yggdrasill?"

"Just…leave. I don't want to yell at you even more than I have to…"

"But Lord Yggdrasill—"

"I don't care what you do, just as long as you leave."

Pronyma visibly flinched before teleporting, once more, out of the room.

"You…"

"I what? Didn't need to yell at her? Now why is this so amusing the fact that I--"

I couldn't say it. I couldn't…say that I…loved him…no, I couldn't. Not when I was this angry. It felt like I was hurting him, which was the last thing I wanted to do.

"Mithos…you…really love him…don't you?"

"You…how can you keep asking that? Shouldn't you already know?"

"Then why can't you say it now?"

"Because--" I faltered…if I told him why, would he believe me? Would he believe that you could love someone so much?

"Because…?"

"I…don't want…him to be hurt."

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Kratos' POV

"Him to be hurt?" Now I was confused. How would him saying he loved him hurt him?

"I…don't understand."

"You don't?"

"No I don't. Should I?"

"No, but, no…I can't say it. He'll be hurt…" his bangs fell in front of his face, and he keeled over. I never saw him look that…helpless…since Martel had died.

"Mithos?"

"…if I say it like that. If I say it like that…he'll be hurt…I don't want…to hurt him."

"Mithos snap out of it! I know you love the boy but how can saying that now, when he isn't even here, hurt him?"

"…I…want to be alone, okay?"

"Mithos."

"I said I wanted to be alone!"

I had never heard such sadness in his voice. Right now, more than ever, he couldn't be left alone!

"Okay then," I said, crouching down so that I was eye level with him, "why would it hurt if you said it like that?"

"I-I…I'm angry right now and if I say it now, when I'm angry it feels like I'm angry at him. And I'm not! I don't think I could ever be!" Mithos was now looking at me, pain apparent in his face.

"I…see…but you aren't mad at this very moment are you?"

"N-No…why?"

"Then can you say it now?"

"Y-yes, I-I can…I love Genis…that's why I didn't want him to join our side. I couldn't bear it pulling him away from his friends…from the people he cared about. He'd obviously be upset with me too."

I just nodded my head, "Okay then. I will leave you alone now, Mithos. I'm sure if you really want to you can fall asleep. It looks like you need it now."

I stood up and walked out of the room, closing the doors behind me.

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Mithos' POV

Good, he was gone now. I…can't believe I just told him that. But does feel kinda nice to get that off my chest. Besides, Genis won't be mad at me for saying that will he?

I sighed once more, looking at my reflection in the glass of one of the many windows in my room. The eerie purple glow from the sky didn't seem as comforting as it had before. I wondered faintly why...

_'Maybe it's because now, more than ever, I want to create a world for Martel…but for Genis as well. That boy…he might not say it but there's definitely something he's hiding and it hurts him.'_

I sighed again and crawled on top of the bed, jerking off the covers and slipping under them. I blinked and looked up at the dome ceiling of my room, trying my best to think of comforting things…such as my sister and all those fun times we had together. I even counted the times that Yuan had come along.

Wow, I was really getting somewhere wasn't I?

…But those weren't the only memories that plagued my thoughts.

Not that I expected them to be.

Most of them were of Genis and of the times that we spent together. Even though it was only for a short while, it still made me feel better that he had trusted me. Not one of my closes friends, not even Kratos, could say that they trusted me. But then again, I didn't trust them either.

And it wasn't entirely my fault either. I mean, who goes and betrays their friend of four thousand years?

And why on earth did they say my view was corrupted.

Well, okay, they didn't out right _say_ it, but Yuan is the head of the Renegades, whose soul purpose is to defeat Cruxis. I think that's screaming it out loud enough.

And then of course, Kratos found out his son was alive. That changed his loyalties immediately.

And even Genis said…

'_Your sister died, you want her back…what if we…brought her back in a different way?'_

"_I've been doing this for four thousand years—"_

'_And it's never worked once.'_

I shook away the memory of the spiteful look on Genis—my boyfriends—face. I felt the blood immediately rush to my cheeks as I called him that…my boyfriend.

Heh, it felt so weird calling him that. But I guess, now that he's returned my feelings, that's the correct term to use now.

"Genis…at times like this I really wish you were here…" I murmured, hugging the extra pillow on my bed and falling into the sleep that I had taught myself to stay away from all those years ago…

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**Me: **Ah-ha-ha-ha! I've gotten another chapter done in record time, go me!

**Feral: **Yes and you're almost done with Part Seven as well.

**Me: **Yup! And since I got two reviews—and since one is going away on Wednesday, I shall update…um…I dunno, when she gets back? Or sooner?

**Feral: **It just depends on how much editing you do.

**Me: **Yeah I guess so. Now then please leave a review! I love hearing from people—though for some reason my computer isn't…showing the new reviews…wah! Stupid computer!


	7. The Confusion of Ones Actions

And here it is: Chapter/Part Seven of To Understand! I hope ya like it!

**To Understand: Part Seven**

**The Confusion of Ones Actions**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: 4**

**Hiranieas-**Yeah…it's been doing that since two nights ago. Whenever I go to check to see if I have any reviews…even though the little number at the bottom shows I have 1 new review (for example it said 16 reviews and now it says 17) it won't show me them so I have to go to Outlook Express and check (Oh yes, it's fixed now!). Oh yeah, you reviewed, like, seven minutes after I updated…wow…um, so yeah, this is the next chapter I hope you like it!

**Nady-kun-**Yay! A new reviewer! Wow…I actually got someone hooked on my story—that's never, ever, ever happened to me before (then again I've only written 5 fan-fics and this one has the most reviews…so I was kinda expecting that…)! And yes I can't wait to see DraNKa's fan art for my story—I'm so happy that she said that she'd draw one for it—squee! Oh yes, here's the next Chapter—updated as fast as I could with school an' all—I hope you enjoy it (and I'm sure you will)!

**Viaroura Fox-**Aww, thanks! And here ya go! A new chapter!

**DraNKa-**Ack…plane crash? Oh good, you were kidding…eh-heh-heh-heh…um, yeah I really did make Mithos all sweet in the last chapter. I almost felt bad for him when he was talking about how he had no real friends he could trust. And here's another chapter! Though I'm pretty sure you won't be back when this comes out (considering the fact you said you'd be out for two weeks).

**Bad Reviews: **(I think I should just take this out now…)

**Me: **Okay Feral, dear, you know what to do.

**Feral: **Fine, fine, Harmony283 doesn't own Tales of Symphonia, just the plot and me…is that good enough?

**Authors Note: **Yup, that's good Feral! Now then, you finally get to hear at least a bit of why Raine was yelling at Zelos and Lloyd in the lobby (back in Part Five). As for one part she says…it has a double meaning. Just use which ever one satisfies you. Oh yeah, this is mostly in Genis and Zelos' POV (except in the beginning). Okay then, I hope you enjoy!

**-------------------------**

Raines POV

I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't believe it. First Zelos and Lloyd were…kissing in the lobby—though I'm pretty sure that was Zelos' doing—and then I found out that they had…slept together the night before—okay maybe it wasn't entirely Zelos' fault—but…gods, Colette had walked in on them and the fact that Genis—that my little brother—was next door—and still away for that matter—disturbed me to no end.

And then of course what happened on a few moments ago. Genis' anger….

Where had it come from?

How long had he kept all of this anger bottled up?

Why…why had he never told me? Didn't he know by now that I would listen if he ever needed to talk to someone? Hadn't I told him that?

Now here I was casting first aid on him as well as bandaging up his wounded arm/hand. I looked up momentarily from my task to find Genis staring absentmindedly out the window, his eyes vacant as if remembering something. He held the picture frame, as well as the picture, he had broken earlier in his left hand.

Almost too quietly for me to hear, he mutters, "I…know that."

"Genis? What's wrong?"

He snaps to attention immediately, almost seeming frightened by the sound of my voice, "Um…n-nothing's wrong…well, except for my arm." He grins at me, but it looks nothing short of force.

Now seemed to be the perfect time to ask him about his anger, or rather, the cause of it, so I did.

"Genis?"

"Hnn?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah…sure…" he already seemed to know what I was going to say, but made no move to stop me from speaking.

"It's about this…anger. Why were you so…?"

"Like I said before, I was angry. There's nothing more too it. I just was." He grated this out quite forcefully, which only caused me to worry more.

"I _know_ that. But **WHY**?"

He seemed to flinch and I noticed I was squeezing his wrist rather tightly…which must have hurt because of his wound. I quickly pulled my hand away, though not breaking my gaze from my rather frail looking younger brother.

"I…guess…I…just…" he seemed to be trying to form the words, but something was holding him back. He glanced down at the picture, his eyes focusing more on Mithos than anyone else.

Wait.

Did this anger have to do with Mithos' betrayal?

But didn't he—wasn't he—already over that?

"Does this have anything to do with Mithos betrayal?" I ask softly, hoping not to startle him out of his thoughts again.

But I had.

"Wha--?" he looked at me like I shouldn't even be asking that…like Mithos could never _be _the source of anger for him.

This wasn't good.

Did this mean that Genis still thought of Mithos as a friend?

"Genis, it's perfectly fine to be angry at him. Don't let your…" I tried to find the right words for it, knowing that right now Genis was probably capable of doing something distructive again, "…Past friendship with him cause you to feel guilty."

"But—" Genis seemed to be extremely hurt by this. More so than I thought he'd be.

Oh gods, I did not want to ask him this…what he had made painfully clear just then. But I had to. Because if he was still friends with Mithos then he could turn on…us.

"Genis. Are you still friends with Mithos?"

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Genis POV

"Genis. Are you still friends with Mithos?"

I blinked, taken back by what she said.

'_Oh you're more than just friends with him!'_

I felt my face flush crimson because of Ferals frankness towards me and Mithos' new found relationship, and I saw Raine giving me a questioning look.

"Wh-Why do you want to know?" Ugh, why was I stuttering? That would only make her more suspicious!

"Because I want to know."

'_I wouldn't tell her the truth if I were you.'_

I sighed, like I was actually telling the truth anyway. Raine would freak if she found out about how close we really are…about our…love…for each other…

Or was it even love?

"Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, I'm not friends with him because of what he does…I'm friends with him because of the way he acts around me…if that makes any sense at all."

Raine just stared at me, eyes widening ever so slightly at my confession. But when she spoke, her tone was serious:

"Genis, has Mithos contacted you at all last night?"

'_Now what are you going to say?' _Feral asked in an amused tone.

I'm pretty sure Raine could tell I was nervous, and that I didn't want to answer but honestly she's intimidating when she interrogates people. I can understand now why Zelos and Lloyd looked so scared.

But now I was in their position. The only difference is that I'm not with the one I care for, like they were.

I was alone.

"Genis, answer the question!" now Raine seemed urgent.

Very urgent.

I'm guessing that this wasn't easy for to ask, or say. But then again, if you ever have the suspicion that a close friend of yours, or in this case family member, may betray you of course you'd be worried and want an answer right away.

Even if it was a lie at least it could prepare you for when they eventually did betray you…or it could give you a sense of relief when you found out that you were just overly suspicious.

"Genis…it's…not…true is it? You…haven't joined Mithos…have you?"

'_Oh good, she finally asks you something that you don't have to lie about.' _

I smiled, "No, Raine I haven't joined him…he never asked me to, ever."

Raines eyes grew wide and then she smiled, a look of pure relief shining on her face.

"That's…good. I was…worried. When Mithos…betrayed us…I wasn't sure how you took it."

"Raine…I'm almost thirteen now…I'm almost a teenager now, but do you honestly think I'd turn on you guys that easily?"

She gave me a helpless glance, which told me that yes, she had thought it was possible…at one point.

"I…you…were such good friends with Mithos that…I'm sure anyone would have believed that you would turn on them. Maybe even Lloyd did…"

"But…I _haven't _turned on you, and I don't intend to. I thought I already told you I became friends with Mithos not because of what he did but because of the way he acted around me. He…I don't think you'll believe me about this but…remember when I stayed at Altessas when you went with Lloyd, Sheena, and the others to go make a pact with Luna…and how when you came back we told you that there was a rock slide?"

"Y-Yes…I was so worried when I had heard that both you, and Mithos had been out at that time."

I nodded my head, "Yeah…well, he…he saved me. I was near the Toize Valley mines when the first earthquake happened. He came to my rescue. He then took me back to Altessa where, as you know, he saved Tabatha."

Raine just mutely nodded her head, "I…see…" was all she said…and was all I expected her to say.

"Hey Raine! We really need to be going…now? Oh…were you two talking…um…I-I'm sorry…"

Colette was standing there in the doorway, her eyes still slightly puffy from crying so much earlier.

"Nah, it's okay Colette, we were done talking anyway. Do you need help with something?"

"Um…well…maybe my math homework, I…wasn't able to do it…last night…" I blinked, then blushed, realizing what she meant.

Of course she wouldn't have been able to work! How could anyone when they had walked into their crush and…and…my face just burned brighter.

"I-I…okay then, l-let's go."

"Genis."

"It's okay Raine, we can talk later."

"So you weren't done talking?" Colette asked curiously, her blue eyes shining with curiosity.

"Yes we were—"

"But it's nothing that we can't talk about later, so don't worry about it." I smiled reassuringly to Colette and led her from the room, leaving a very confused, and slightly annoyed, Raine sitting on the edge of my bed.

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Lloyds POV

I was so…confused.

So purely and utterly confused.

And I don't think it was because of my denseness now.

How could it be?

Zelos…he said he loved me…we even…

I blushed at the thought of what happened the night before. It still gave me goosebumps when I thought of him kissing me.

And yet…when Colette walked in…everything changed. I felt so ashamed of loving him. I…it must have hurt him.

Yeah, that's got to be it! There's no plausible reason why he would ignore me today!

That and maybe because Colette ratted us out to Raine…gods I guess she must've been really upset to do that.

But how could I have known she loved me like that? That she loved me that much.

Well, okay, maybe Genis did point it out a few times but he had stopped doing that a while ago.

Back when they had first visited Meltokio.

It still slightly disturbed me that I could have forgotten that my closest friend was right next door to us last night. How awkward must that have been for him? But he acted like he hadn't heard a thing. Instead he had prodded them with questions.

Though what really disturbed me is what happened only a few minutes ago.

That horrible anger that Genis had displayed.

That…anger it had…when they had finally knocked the door down only to see him smash the mirror—and with his bare hand too—it…that…was just…something he could never have thought Genis capable of.

And the fact that he had looked so…frightened…so _shocked_…at how he had done it…and how he had not remembered breaking those things…

Gods it scared everyone…but Raine…she was undoubtedly asking him about it now.

Still the excuse of 'I was just pissed' really left the world as a vacant answer.

What was he pissed about? What had happened? Why did he resort to anger? Wasn't he smarter than that?

Hell yes he was smarter than that.

So why?

I sighed loudly, falling back onto the remade bedspread. I officially had a headache…and I had bigger things to worry about.

Like my relationship with Zelos.

Heck, that was even more confusing than anything else!

I love him and I know he said he loved me, but does he really? Because if he does he sure isn't showing it today. Heck, I haven't even seen him since, well, since we were in Genis' room.

Okay, that was just a few minutes ago but where had he disappeared off to?

_"Y-Y'know…I think, out of everyone in this group you're the one I trust the most."_

_"Yeah, out of everyone in the group I trust you the most." _

I shook those words out of my head…or rather, the visual that had gone along with them. It still bothered me that Zelos had acted so unsure in that moment. And…after what happened at Altessas I really did not want to think Zelos would betray us as well.

Though he always did say he hated being the Chosen.

And Yggdrasil—Mithos—was the one who thought up that crazy 'mana lineage' thing so he could take the title away…couldn't he?

Wait, why was I thinking that was a good thing? Well, yeah, maybe Zelos would be happy but that would mean that Mithos would want something in return.

Like maybe his loyalty.

Or maybe even his…life…

Gods I hoped neither of those answers came true.

"Dammit! Why is this so confusing?" I cried out, covering my face with my hands and moving farther up on the bed so that now my head was resting on the pillow. I brought my head up off the pillow before banging it down.

About the third time I did this…I felt something…something hard, small, and circular.

I blinked and got up, turning to glance at the pillow. Nothing appeared to be on top of it.

I moved the pillow aside and gasped.

There lay Zelos' Cruxis Crystal with a small folded up piece of paper beside it.

Why would Zelos leave his Cruxis Crystal here, of all places?

I picked up the crystal gingerly, running my fingers over the smooth surface. It felt just like an Exsphere.

I was about to unfold the small note when Raine called out, "Okay everyone it's almost time to leave!"

I quickly slid the note into my pocket and the Cruxis Crystal down my shirt before I hurried out of the room, checking to see if I had left anything else laying around before I closed the door a final time.

I arrived in the lobby to find Sheena, Presea and Genis sitting over at a nearby table, obviously trying to help Colette with her homework, Regal and Raine talking over the possible routes they could take to the Tower of Salvation, and Zelos flirting with one of the many maids that worked at the Inn.

Everyone looked up when they heard me enter and stood up.

"Well, should we get going or what?" I say, grinning at them.

Colette, Presea, and Sheena nodded their heads quickly, though Colette still seemed a little sad.

Raine and Regal smiled as if they approved, which was always good.

Genis…for a second I thought I saw indecision on his face before he nodded his head, lightly wincing as his wounded arm brushed up against the wooden table.

Zelos smirked and walked over to me, draping an arm around my neck like he used to do, "Yeah! Let's go kick some Cruxis butt!"

I smiled, good. For a second I thought he was…trying to avoid me…or…

"Yeah! Let's go!" Genis said, a sad, but confident grin appearing on his face as well.

Everyone, even Zelos, seemed slightly surprised by his sudden enthusiasm.

How…could he…be like that? I mean, I know their friendship was officially over, he had been so close to Mithos. How could he just up and decide to fight against just like that?

I'm not sure I would have the strength to do that if I had to go up against Zelos.

Wait…what made me think I was going to go up against him anyway?

I shook my head hurriedly and smiled, "Yeah! Let's go!" And everyone filed out of the hotel and into the lightly dusting of snow that fell from the sky.

We had almost reached the edge of town when I noticed that Zelos seemed to be…lagging behind. I faintly wondered why and stopped to look at him.

He seemed extremely worried about something, but quickly hid it away when he saw that I was looking.

"Zelos?"

"Hmm? What is it Lloyd?" He asked, his voice the same light cheerfulness it had been in the lobby.

"I…trust you okay? I..." the words where so hard to form, "I…can trust you can't I?"

Zelos seemed a bit taken back at this, but smiled anyway, "Yeah, yeah! Of course you can trust me, now let's hurry up!" His smile. His tone of voice. His expression.

Everything looked so…so…

Fake.

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**Me: **And that's the end of Part Seven! Yay! I made the last minute decision to tack on the ending. Though I'm not sure I got the conversation right it's supposed to be altered…I mean, they aren't in a relationship in the game and they are here.

**Feral: **Yes that's true…oh, and you only had me speaking four times in this chapter.

**Me:**…Don't worry, you'll get your time to shine…eventually.

**Feral: **Fine.

**Me: **Okay then! R&R, CC is welcome (if you have any) and…well…yeesh, I'm updating daily now! Agh! The ideas just keeping flowing!

**Feral: **Or so she says…

**Me: **…what's that supposed to mean?

**  
**

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	8. An Unexpected Visitor

Ta-dah! Chapter/Part Eight of To Understand comin' at'cha! Hope ya like it like the last Seven Chapters/Parts!

**To Understand: Part Eight**

**True Feelings of a Traitor**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: 3 (Holy cow 20 reviews! YAY!)**

**Hiranieas-**Yes I know, poor them. I actually felt kinda bad for them too, and I'm the writer! And yes, I wonder why Genis just up and said 'let's go fight Mithos!'…maybe he was putting on a strong front? Or maybe not? Anyways…here's the next Chapter I hope you like it!

**TheTwilightPrincess-**Truth be told I wasn't much into guy/guy couples either. That was, until I bought ToS…then I decided to read some fan-fics about it and the first one I just so happened to read was Before the Turning Point By _Shinneth_. That's what got me thinking that this was the only guy/guy couple that made sense. I'm also glad that you thought I wrote this in a way that made you like it (I don't think I could ever do just a plain shonen-ai story. I'd be afraid of making too many mistakes…so this one has action/adventure thrown in as well). I'm really happy that you said that my story might change your views on them—it must mean I'm doing a good job! Thanks a bunch for your review and here's the next chapter!

**Nady-Kun-**Heh…exactly what can I do? Hmm, you'll just have to wait and find out. As for the whole 'Let's go fight Mithos!' thing…it's basically either him putting up a strong front or him thinking Lloyd was dense enough not to question why he was so 'gun-ho' about it (remember how 'happy' he sounded when he said it?) And the reason I chose Flanoir to start off with…well, for one thing it too is my favorite city and I just thought I'd twist it up a bit since I didn't want it starting at 'Mithos' betrayal' scene (that's overused a lot). And yes, I hate betrayals too. It made me cry the first time when Mithos betrayed Genis and the group. Oh yes, here's the new chapter I hope you like it (and on a side note I've seen, and saved, most of your artwork—it's awesome!)!

**Me: **Wow…to think that this story'd get so many reviews…that and that it used to be just a four parter…things sure do change.

**Feral: **Yes and that was because you decided to stick me into the story. Now tell me am I going to show up in this chapter or not? I thought I was supposed to be a major character.

**Me: **Yes you are an important character but…I can't say! The readers'll just have to read and find out! Now be a good girl and do the Disclaimer

**Feral: **Fine, fine. Harmony283 will never ever, EVER own Tales of Symphonia or any of its characters. She just owns me and the plot. If you accuse her of anything else…I can't be too sure if you will live…

**Me: **…0o;;; Ack! I said do the Disclaimer! Not threaten the readers!

**Feral: **Mweh, heh, heh…

**Authors Note: **-gulps-Uh, _anyway_…in this chapter there's…well…more conversation between Raine and Genis. Also there's more Genis/Mithos action…as in talking in the dead of night after a group of monsters attack!

**Me: **Hmm…am I forgetting something?

**Feral: **Yes you are.

**Me: **Oh yeah! Pronyma, as you all know, dies when you reach the 'Great Seed Chamber' but in this…she doesn't. Don't ask; it just goes along with the plot. (Yeesh I should've just mentioned this in the first chapter…but I forgot…)

**Feral: **Yes it does. Poor Genis…

**Me: **What did I tell you about spoiling things for the readers? –Glares at Feral who shrugs and walks away casually-

**------------------------------**

**  
**Genis' POV

Okay, I knew we had left Flanoir. That city surrounded with snow…but it was still cold. And the wind wasn't helping much either.

_'What did you expect from flying on a Rhieard at top speed at--nine o'clock at night?' _Feral asked, her voice extremely sarcastic.

I looked around, everyone else seemed to be wrapped up in their own thoughts and the wind was making it close to impossible to hear anything, which was good.

"What's up with you?"

_'Hmm? You aren't afraid to talk to me.' _

"No one can hear me cuz of the wind and besides, they're all caught up in their own thoughts to care much anyway." I said the last part bitterly. Why did that bug me though? It's not like I like being the center of attention or anything.

_'You seem slightly annoyed. Hmm, is your hand bothering you at all?'_

"I smashed a mirror and hurt my hand because of that--of course it would hurt!"

_'I don't mean that…I mean your…Exsphere. Has it been bothering you?'_

"No, not that I've noticed much or anything…should it?"

_'I'm not sure. It's just…'_

"Just what?"

_'No, it's nothing. Nothing important anyways.' _

"How can you say that it's not important when you sound so worried?" I asked, slightly annoyed at her. It seemed like now, more than ever, people were trying to hide stuff from me. That or give me part of the answer.

I sighed softly to myself, speeding up my Rhieard slightly. Raine seemed to notice something and tried to call out to me…

I slowed down enough to let her pull her Rhieard up to mine. 

"Genis?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you…what were you talking to yourself about?"

I flinched, oh great. She had obviously seen my mouth moving…dammit

_'Well I can't say I didn't warn, since I didn't, but I can say that you should have seen that coming.' _

I flinched again, Feral was using that same cold, mono-toned voice. I shivered involentarily and Raine just looked at me worried.

"I'm…I was…"

"You were…? Are you okay? We…never finished our conversation you know. The one about…why you got angry."

"I don't think now is the best time to talk about it…" Then in a lower voice I added, "…Not that I want to talk about it."

-----------------------------------

Raines POV

I just stared at the rather agitated and cold form of my younger brother, lips pressed together in a thin line of worry.

What was going on in that head of his?

What…did he mean…he didn't want to talk about it? Surely he didn't think he could solve this problem on his own?

How could he? This was something that he needed to talk out with someone--preferably a trusted adult (A/N: she's starting to sound like my health teacher)--about his problems.

"Why don't you want to talk about it? You know at some point in time you will have to. And the sooner the better."

I wasn't exactly sure what would happen next but…Genis seemed to be debating something extremely serious in his head at that one moment--his expression changed so many times--from rage to sadness to fear and back again. I wondered yet again what was going through his mind.

He used to be so open with me…but that changed once he…

…Met Mithos.

My eyes widened slightly; my mind replaying the conversation I had with Genis early this morning.

_'Genis are you still friends with Mithos?'_

_'Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, I'm not friends with him because of what he does…I'm friends with him because of the way he acts around me…if that makes any sense at all._

He…never said that he had stopped being friend with the blond half-elf…our enemy. Oh gods, was he still friends with him now?

But…no…Genis specifically said that he would never join him. Ever. Then why was it so hard to believe that they were still friends?

Hmm…

"Hey Professor!" I blinked, snapped out of my thoughts by a very cold looking Lloyd.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Is it okay if we stop for the night? We won't do nearly as well if we don't have enough sleep!" Sheena finished for the brunette.

I nodded my head, "Well I suppose you're right. Let's find a clearing and set up camp there."

"but how can we see in this darkness?" Presea asked softly, looking just as cold as everyone else, but not showing it.

"My little Rosebud is right! We're not gonna do any good if we can't see anything." Zelos cried out, visibly shaking while trying to balance on the Rhieard.

Lloyd seemed to give Zelos a worried glance, to which the red head fully ignored.

"Hey I think I see something down there!" Colette called out, pointing to a location not too far off.

We lowered our Rhieards and sure enough it was a place to stay. It was also much warmer than it had been.

Genis was the first to get off his Rhieard. He seemed slightly calmer than before…but his eyes held a vacant look to them.

A few minutes later and everyone was set up for camp.

"Okay then, who will be the night watch?"

Genis immediately raised his hand, "I will." But he didn't seem too happy about it.

"Ah good! I'm bushed." Zelos said, yawning and falling on his sleeping bag.

Presea nodded her head in agreement and so did Sheena.

"Um, uh, that is…if you don't mind…" Colette murmured to which Genis just smiled, though it was an empty smile.

"Don't worry about it. You can sleep too, Lloyd. And Regal you can too…sis…you might as well go to bed now too."

"Genis…"

"I slept in late this morning remember? So I'm not tired yet. I'll wake you if I get sleepy."

I sighed watching as the others fell asleep. Genis had gone over by the fire, obviously to warm himself up.

"Genis…?"

"You really want to know, don't you?"

"Yes that and…are you still friends with Mithos now?"

"Didn't I already answer that?"

"Yes, in a sense, you did."

"And in a sense is all you're going to get--" his voice was rigid but tired at the same time.

"Genis…" 

"Sis I'm really fine. When I wanna talk about it I will. Just…don't worry okay? I'll wake any of you if I see a monster or anything."

I sighed and opened my mouth to say more…only to find myself yawning.

Genis smirked, "See? You're tired."

I groaned softly, "Yes I suppose I am a bit tired. But this is really important Genis. You aren't giving me the whole answer, just half of it."

Genis seemed to freeze at those words, as if contemplating something in his head.

He then sighed rather abruptedly, shaking his head from side to side muttering, "Don't bring that up." Before turning back to face me.

"Why—or rather what—more do you want to know? I've already told you enough…haven't I? I? I mean, I've told you enough in my opinion."

This just made me worried again. So he honestly thought that giving me part of the answer was okay? He honestly thought—or should I say hoped—I wouldn't ask him anymore about it?

"Genis in all honestly no you didn't tell me enough. You said you were friends with Mithos but you made it sound like you were friends with him _now_. And you also avoided my question on if Mithos contacted you at all that night?"

Genis shrugged his shoulders as if it didn't matter, "How could he? I mean, Colette was down the hall from me and she has angel hearing, Lloyd and Zelos were right next door to me too and it's pretty obvious that they were still awake."

My eyes widened…so he really did know!

"And how do you know that?"

"Besides the fact that you said that they said that they heard something last night, I saw them walking back from the chapel. I'm guessing they were talking and stuff. Not that it's any of my business but…you seem really worried…what's wrong?"

Oh gods, if everyone had been awake I would have whacked him upside the head, but since they weren't, I felt bad about waking them up. His voice held both naivety and sarcastic humor that…ugh, I thought he knew better than to talk to me like that!

"Genis…"

Then I yawned, sleep seeming to envelope me like a blanket. Genis smiled again, though this time it was a gentle, caring smile, "See, sis? You are tired. Why don't you get some sleep?"

"But…"

"I know you want to talk to me about it, but you can't unless you're all ears and wide awake."

I smiled at him and nodded my head, "Yes you're right."

He grinned at his easy win.

"But that does not mean I'm not going to ask you about it. And I assure you we will talk about it before we reach the Tower of Salvation…before we face off against Yggdrasill—Mithos."

Genis' face fell immediately, his eyes going cold at the mention of his—I'm hoping former—friends name.

"Now then, I'm going to bed."

------------------------------

Genis' POV

How could she put that so lightly?

_ 'Well you did say that you'd fight up against Mithos this morning…are you going back on it now?' _Feral asked, amusement in her voice.

"What the—you actually believed me?"

_'Well you did sound extremely convincing. I think the only one there, besides me, that didn't fully believe you was Lloyd. But then again, he's dense.' _

"Heh…yeah you're right." I muttered as I walked over to sit near a tree that was some ways off, though not too far off, from the camp. I sighed again, "How can I do this…?"

_ 'It is going to be hard. I won't lie to you about that. Though if no one's noticed by now that you've been faking then you don't have to worry.'_

"But I still feel bad…for keeping so many secrets…"

_'And you should. But it's necessary. You said so yourself that your sister, as well as everyone else, didn't—couldn't—know about your relationship with Mithos.'_

I sighed softly, knowing that Feral was right. I had said that and it was true.

I gingerly took out the single feather from my pocket. The feather from Mithos' wings…it still had the same soft, rainbowish hue to it that it had this morning.

I laughed to myself. Did I honestly think it would fade?

It was an _angels_ feather for crying out loud! A perfect, or so we had thought, beings' feather. Of course it would be perfect.

I ran my fingertips over it, surprised by the warm tingling sensation I got from them.

"Hmm, so it's warm. That's interesting…but then again, the wings are part of the body…aren't they?

Wait. If they were then were my wings warm too?

I glanced behind me, making sure that Raine and the others were fast asleep, before I attempted to draw out my wings.

In a flash of pale blue the crystalline wings appeared.

And just like last time, they hurt.

Badly.

It felt like someone was diving a million or so needles into my back. I let out a soft groan before trying to reach around and pluck off a feather.

'_You know…that might not be the best thing to do.' _

"And what would you know? It's not like you know more about this than I do."

_ 'Hmm you're right. But, call it a guess, I think plucking off a feather on your new wings would be like pulling out a strand of your hair.' _

"But that doesn't hurt." I said, still reaching around behind me. I grasped one of the end feathers and tugged lightly. The feather came off surprisingly fast…but gods…it hurt.

And that wasn't the only thing that hurt.

I glanced to the side and gasped, retracting my wings immediately. There stood a monster with a spiky head and leaf like arms. I looked at my wounded hand and right above it, on the shoulder, was one of those thorns from that monster.

I glared at it hatefully but it just grinned back.

"Raine, everyone, get up it's a monster!" I cried out, trying hard not to show any fear.

But they didn't hear me.

That's when I heard a loud huffing noise coming from above. I glanced up, almost afraid to look, and a saw a dragon like monster…it was dusting a light powder down on my friends.

'_Hmm, that's strange. I've never seen a dragon do that before.' _Feral said, her voice one of a curious onlooker.

"But what is that…powder?"

_'It's sleep powder, but don't worry, it's non-lethal.'_

I groaned again, trying to stand.

I had to put practically all my weight on my left side because of my arm…this wasn't good. They were coming at me…fast.

All of a sudden a beam of white light, well, more like many beams of white light, shot down, hitting the two monsters and making them disappear.

I blinked and turned around, seeing if Colette, who was the only one who knew an attack like that, had somehow managed to get up. But she hadn't.

Well if it wasn't her, then it had to be—

"Genis!" An urgent and all too familiar voice cried out from behind me. I gasped and turned around.

Standing there with a shocked, and slightly deshelved, look on his face was Mithos.

"M-Mithos…? What…what are you doing here? You could get caught!" I whispered, wondering at how he could be so…so…uncaring for his own well being at a time like this.

Mithos didn't answer my question he just stared at me, or rather, my arm.

"You're hurt!" The look on his face made my heart want to tear to pieces.

How could this person be our enemy when he…

"Um…yeah…the monster did that." I murmured, slightly embarrassed by my current situation. I specifically said that no one needed to worry and that I'd be the night watch and yet I hadn't even been paying attention.

"But the monster…couldn't have don't that to your hand! Your arm yes, since there's a needle there, but not your hand…is your Exsphere okay?"

Oh…my hand…oh great, this was not good.

Mithos was walking steadily closer, concern the only readable emotion on his face.

I backed up slightly, "No really, my hand's fine. So is my Exsphere."

Then I remembered that there was a tree behind me.

Great.

I felt the hard wood against my back as Mithos drew closer. Now he was only standing a few feet away from me.

He gingerly reached out, taking my arm and pulling out the needle that penetrated the skin on my shoulder. I sighed in relief when I saw that it hadn't gone deep, he did as well.

"There…now your hand…" He slid his hand down my arm to grasp my wrist. I gasped out in pain, trying to jerk away.

This was met with a very harsh gaze, "Look, I want to know how you hurt your hand. Can't you tell me?"

"I…It's nothing. I just, um, wasn't careful when I was doing something and…I hurt it."

"with what and when?"

"Um…I can't really say with what but…this morning is when I hurt it."

"Then how did you plan on going up against those monsters yourself?"

I gulped, "I wasn't trying to. One of the monsters, the dragon, put some type of sleeping powder on my friends a-and the other one attacked me…"

Mithos sighed, but didn't loosen his grip on my hand. Now I just had to tell him, "Um that hurts y'know." 

Mithos glanced down at my hand, then back at me, his turquoise gaze locking with mine, "How did you hurt it again?"

"I—um—hurt it by...um…" I stuttered, trying to find a plausible lie, or excuse, to get myself out of Mithos' sudden, and ever tightening, grip.

But he wasn't buying it, of course.

He brought up his free hand, placing it on the tree trunk right next to my head, leaning in until his face was dangerously close to mine.

"Please tell me."

Even if I had wanted to lie, now I knew I couldn't.

"I…I…broke a mirror."

Mithos' eyes widened, "You…what…?"

"I…broke a mirror."

"With your bare hand?"

I nodded my head again.

I saw a flash of something in his eyes, before his expression changed to one of that who was thinking over a complicated problem. I waited, my face steadily getting redder from our closeness, as he thought over something in his mind.

Suddenly he looked back at me, a soft smile gracing his lips. He moved the hand that had been beside my head so that it was now cupping the side of my face.

My cheeks reddened and I felt my heart start pounding. It wasn't helping much that he was getting closer.

That or the fact that he had a highly unsettling look in his eyes. I couldn't place it and it was…

My mind turned to mush as I felt gentle pressure on my lips.

The only thought that even processed into my mind was that Mithos…

…was kissing me.

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**Me: **Whoo! They finally kiss!

**Feral: **Yes and I have to say, this is an accomplishment for you. Normally you have it where they kiss in the first chapter.

**Me: **That was Zelos and Lloyd. Now Genis and Mithos get their lil' time to shine! But boy would it be bad if someone woke up…

**Feral: **Yes, imagine the looks on their faces…

**Me: **Yeah –giggles happily—and as always please Read and Review! I LUV hearing from people!


	9. An enemies Feelings

**Me: **Dun, dun, dun, dun! Here's Chapter Nine of To Understand! I hope ya like it like the other eight!

**To Understand: Part Nine**

**An Enemies Feelings**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: 3**

**Nady-Kun-**Ah, don't worry about forgetting things…it happens sometimes! And you're finished on a storyboard for a Mithos/Genis doujin in Flanoir? That sounds interesting. And yes I'm apparently good at changing peoples' views on things…maybe it's the way I write them? Or is it something else? Hmm…well, anyways, thanks for the review and here's the next chapter!

**Hiranieas-**Yes they finally kissed. I wasn't so sure on how to go about it, but hey, it worked. And yes it _would_ be funny if everyone woke up. But will they? Hmm you'll find out in this chapter so…yeah!

**Viaroura Fox-**Hmm, is anyone going to wake up? You'll have to find out in this chapter so here's it is I hope you like it!

**Me: **Um…wow…I never thought I'd make it all the way to Part Nine! I'm soooo happy!

**Feral: **Of course you'd have to make it to Part Nine eventually, I mean, from looking at the Chapter Plan you had for this fan-fic there are supposed to be close to/more than 20 Chapters—oh wait…I wasn't supposed to say that was I?

**Me:** —grinds teeth—yes, you're right. You _weren't_ supposed to say that. Now if you would be so kind as to do the disclaimer.

**Feral: **Okay! Harmony283 does not own Tales of Symphonia! She just owns me and the Plot!

**Me: **…you sure are in a good mood today…

**Feral: **Yup! Because if what your Chapter Plan says is true then I should show up in this chapter!

**Me: **That is _if_ I go by my Chapter Plan…you know how it is with me and those things…

**Feral: **Yup but you can still squeeze me in if you just skimp on detail over the stuff that you were _supposed_ to have in the last chapter.

**Authors Note: **Yeah, yeah, whatever—coughs—. Um, anyway, like Feral said this Chapter contains more Genis/Mithos action! And no I will _not _rush any of it. It'll ruin the flow. Oh yes, this is where things really start to spiral off from the game…just thought you ought to know.

**Feral: **Now on with the Chapter!

**Me: **You…are really starting to freak me out now…

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Genis' POV

I stood there, trying to let the events that were happening sink in. I mean, it wasn't every day that someone gets kissed by the evilest --not to mention possibly strongest-- person in the universe.

And yet, it was happening to me…

And I liked it.

I liked it a lot.

But I wasn't doing anything about it.

But what _could _I do about it? This was my first kiss…

Woah, wait…did I just say that?

'_I know what you can do.' _

I honestly wished that Feral would have kept quiet for the rest of the night, but I was curious as to what she had to say. She seemed to understand that I couldn't really answer her so she continued.

'_Kiss him back. Don't worry, just add pressure to your lips…it's easy.' _

I nodded my head and pressed my lips back against him, which obviously startled him. He gasped lightly against my lips and broke the kiss softly before pulling away and looking at me.

I felt my face burn and knew that my face was turning a deep shade of red.

Mithos noticed as well and chuckled lightly, "You know…you look kinda cute like that."

This only made me blush more. But that was more because I knew what he was going to say next.

"…But you would look even cuter with your Katz costume…"

and I was right.

"W-what's the deal with…?"

I couldn't finish because, just then, I was pulled into an extremely tight embrace, along with Mithos burying his head in the nape of my neck.

"Wha—?"

"I was so worried." He murmured, his voice almost inaudible.

"W-worried? About what?"

"If you…were okay or not."

"You just saw me last night so…of course I'm fine!"

Mithos pulled away from me, glaring at me with cold eyes, "Oh really? How can you call yourself fine after you broke that mirror? How can you say you're fine when you're obviously in pain?"

I blinked, slightly taken back by his harsh tone. I glanced downwards, towards my wounded hand, which Mithos still had in his grip. Yeah sure I had hurt myself but…I was fine other wise.

"…You don't really need to worry about that, Mithos."

"Yes I do, Genis…yes I do…" he seemed to choke up, and for a second I actually thought he was going to cry.

…Which would wake up someone if they did.

Oh wait, no, probably. Because the sleep powder…

_'You do realize that sleep powder only lasts about a couple of minutes unless it's properly made.' _

I gulped, that had just confirmed my suspicions, "Um…"

"Y-Yes?" Yeesh, even he was stuttering. I wonder…was he really that worried?

"It's…not safe for you to be here…my sister or Lloyd or someone might wake up!"

He smiled shakily at me, "And since when did that stop me? I…wanted to see you so I'm here and no person waking up is going to make me want to leave."

I thought he'd say something like that. He's so bold.

"W-what…made you want to come here in the first place? I mean, you said you were worried but you never said _why_ you were worried or what _caused_ you to be worried. I'm surprised you could find us in the dead of night. Or wait, that's probably another power of yours isn't it?"

Mithos nodded his head, "Yes, I guess you could say it's one of my powers…as for why I was worried…" he trailed off and his eyes widened.

I blinked, why had he stopped?

"Genis? Are you still up? Aren't you…?"

It was Raine.

----------------------

Raines' POV

I blinked, sitting up groggily in my makeshift bed. I look around, expecting to see Genis over by the fire…but he isn't there.

A moment of panic strikes me before I see, over behind a nearby tree, his familiar, slightly spiky, white hair. I sighed in relief getting up from my bed slowly.

But wait, is he talking to someone?

He's been doing that a lot lately.

But honestly, he must be tired now. And besides, what's he doing all the way over there anyway?

I walked forward; he seems to tense up.

"Genis? Are you still up? Aren't you…?"

I trail off, eyes widening at the scene in front of me.

Genis was pinned to the tree, well, no, not really, but he couldn't really go anywhere, and Mithos…Mithos was holding his wrist, staring at me wide eyed.

I opened my mouth, wanting to ask exactly why he was here…or rather, what he was doing but the words wouldn't form. I just stared at the two boys dumbstruck.

Which is probably why I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard Lloyds voice.

"Huhn? Hey Professor what's goin' on?" He asked sleepily.

"Uh-oh…" Genis whispered, more to himself and Mithos than to me or…well…me.

That's when I found my voice.

"And what may I ask is going on here?"

"Professor?"

Now Colette was up.

"Um…uh…" Genis shifted his gaze down to the ground, obviously he didn't have a good explanation for me.

"Oh hey Genis--what's—MITHOS?"

I, along with Genis, flinched.

"…Ugh, how on earth am I, the Great Zelos, supposed to be getting my beauty sleep when you people are so loud?" Zelos whined, sitting up and glaring at us.

"Well I do have to say that less noise would be good." Regal said, standing up awkwardly and turning his gaze towards us.

"Yes, I agree."

"Nngg…yeesh, what's goin' on? Is there a monster?"

"Not a monster…our enemy." Lloyd said through gritted teeth, reaching to unsheathe both his swords.

"Huh?" both Sheena and Zelos asked at the same time.

"He—Mithos—is here." Now his swords were out and he was running at Mithos.

"Why are you here?" Presea asked, grabbing her ax.

"Why do you think I'm here?" Mithos asked, letting go of Genis' wrist and yet, not letting him go anywhere.

This worried me.

"Genis, what did Mithos do? Did he hurt you at all—your arm!" I gasped as I saw the wound on his shoulder.

Did Mithos do that?

Genis immediately moved so that his shoulder couldn't be seen, "I-It's okay. Mithos didn't do this…a-a monster did."

"Genis…you don't have to lie."

"B-But I'm not…!"

"Genis…"

"If he says he's telling the truth then he is. He's your brother; you should trust him, Raine." Mithos said, a small smirk playing across his lips.

It was at times like this that I wondered how on earth the two boys ever became friends. How could Genis stand to be a friend to someone whose voice practically dripped with horrible sarcasm and whose eyes shone with incredible blood lust?

---------------------

Lloyds POV

Genis shook, as if afraid, and why wouldn't he be? Mithos was a madman. Anyone in their right mind would be afraid of him!

Mithos seemed to notice this and moved slightly; grabbing his wrist again…that was it. I would not allow him to touch my best friend!

"Hey hands off!" I charged at him, which didn't seem to surprise him. He just moved closer to Genis…

Oh crap.

If I hit him chances are I'd hit Genis too…

…Or maybe not…

"HEAVY TIGER BLADE!" I cried out, swinging my sword at him.

And he dodged it…

Taking Genis with him.

"Ack!" Genis lost his footing and tripped, making Mithos trip as well.

"Um…oww…"

"Genis! Get away from him now!" I called out, but he didn't seem to be listening. He was focused on trying to get up.

The a dark sphere of energy came hurling by me, hitting Genis, who was staggering to get up, dead on, sending him flying backwards.

"Genis!" Mithos seemed…shocked, startled, and…worried.

But why?

They weren't friends anymore, right?

"There you are Lord Yggdrasill!"

I blinked, wait, Pronyma's here too?

"Pronyma…what are you doing here?"

"Why, looking for you my Lord. Lord Kratos told me that you were not in your room, so I came looking for you."

Mithos cursed under his breath, then out loud he said, "You do know that I would have come back."

Pronymas eyes narrowed, "Yes I'm sure you would have. And to assure that you do…" she teleported over near the motionless form of Genis.

"What are you…doing Pronyma?"

Now Mithos seemed scared.

And yet again I wondered why.

"What do you think? You came all the way out here to see this boy…and since he's so important to you I think I'll just take him back, as a hostage."

"What in your right mind makes you think that you can get away with that?"

"Because I can. That, and I know something that you don't know."

Mithos scoffed, "And what could that be?"

"Unfortunately I cannot say…with our current audience. If you really must know then come back to Venheim." With that, Pronyma picked up the limp form of my best friend—of Genis—and teleported away.

"Wha—?"

Wait, did I just let that happen?

"Genis!" Raine whispered, her eyes widening as she too realized what had happened.

"Dammit Pronyma…ugh…well then, I bid you, my enemies, farewell."

"Wait! Where's Venheim anyway?" I cried out, still trying to sort things out in my head. Over the course of a few minutes I had found out so many things…and now I was confused.

"At this rate you'll find out in no time." Mithos spat before…he extend his wings…

Woah, he had rainbow wings! Cool!

No…that wasn't supposed to be cool.

…he teleported away…

"He's…gone…"

"Yes. He is."

"But where'd that Pronyma lady take Genis?"

Zelos shook his head, "You mean you weren't paying attention at _all_ my volumptious hunny? She said Venheim."

"But where _is_ Venheim?"

Zelos coughed and sweatdropped, "beats me if I know!"

"Ugh, that's not helpful at all!"

"No, it is not. But more importantly…what exactly is going on?"

"Good question, Presea. Let's think about it for a second."

everyone gathered around the campfire.

"Let's go over the events of the day."

"Yeah, I dunno but I got a feelin that that brat—I mean Genis—knows more about what's going on than any of us do."

"That may be true Zelos. But it won't do us any good if we can't pick out exactly what he knows or doesn't know."

"Okay then, let's start with this morning and that…accident with the mirror."

"Yeah, we weren't exactly there for most of that time…what happened?" Sheena asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"I…think he got angry because we weren't telling him everything."

"Yeah…I guess he thought we were making fun of him." I muttered, crossing my legs and averting my gaze. Man I felt so guilty now. If I hadn't reacted so harshly then maybe—

"Soon after that I tried to get him to talk to me, I did so about an hour ago as well, and he refused to tell me the exact origins of his anger."

"So, wait, we weren't the ones that made him angry?"

"I think that was…part of it. But not the…exact cause. I thought it had something to do with Mithos. But then he looked at me like I was crazy." Raine sighed sadly.

"Did he say anything else about Mithos?"

"No…but I asked him about if he was still friends with him. And even then he evaded the question."

"Woah, wait, so he could still be friends with him? Even after he betrayed us an' all?" Zelos asked, seeming shocked at this.

Raine just nodded her head.

"…And then just a few moments ago…Raine, you woke up before we did…."

"Yes. For some reason Mithos was here tonight talking to Genis. Genis was—is—wounded in his right left shoulder and he claims a monster did it."

"Well Mithos is a monster!"

"True his intentions are…that of a madmans…but he is still human."

"But that just brings up why we didn't wake up if monsters attacked?"

Raine nodded her head once more, "Yes…it's unusual. Unless if one of the monsters had some type of sleep toxin with them it's highly unlikely that we would have heard anything."

"So if Genis really was hurt by a monster, and since he can't fight very well because his right arm is bandaged, then does that mean that Mithos really did save him?" Sheena asked.

We waited in silence while Raine mulled over the question in her mind.

"Well yes, I suppose he did save him then."

"But why?"

Raine sighed, shaking her head again, "I-I don't know…I honestly don't know."

"But I do know that we need to save Genis."

---------------------------------------------

**Me: **And that's the end of Part Nine!

**Feral: **…

**Me: **Um…heh…you…are made at me aren't you?

**Feral: **I didn't show up in this chapter…

**Me: **Don't worry! You'll show up in the next chapter…maybe…

**Feral: **Well, if you say so.

**Me: **Um, yeah! Anyways R&R please! I absolutely love hearing from people!


	10. A Change in Heart

**Me: **Part Ten of To Understand comin' at'cha!

**Feral: **I think you've said that before.

**Me: **So what? Does it really matter?

**Feral: **No, not really. I just thought I'd point it out.

**To Understand: Part Ten**

**A Change in Heart**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: 2**

**Hiranieas-**Wow…I'm glad you liked it! And yet again you updated seven minutes after I uploaded this chapter! You're my fastest reviewer (so far)! Uh, yeah, what exactly _did_ Pronyma know? Hmm, I wonder…well here's the new chapter and I hope you like it!

**Nady-Kun-**Yup Genis is the damsel in distress (I've always wanted him to be one…so yeah, this was the perfect opportunity to do that)! And um…consequences…? –gulps-well, I hope there aren't any since…um…this is a new chapter! I hope you like it!

**Me: **Well, I don't have much to say…just that I'm ON PART TEN! WOOOH!

**Feral: **-blinks- Yes…apparently you are. But I _do _show up in this chapter, right?

**Me: **If things go according to plan then yes you will!

**Feral: **I hope so.

**Me: **Now then, you know what to do!

**Feral: **Harmony283 doesn't own Tales of Symphonia, Namco does. The things she does own, however, are me and the Plot. So no stealing!

**Me: **Good job!

**Feral: **Thank you.

**Authors Note: **Well then, this Chapter is the one that has the famous Zelos betrayal scene in it! Though it's a little toned down from the one in the game. Oh yes, and Mithos is thoroughly pissed at Pronyma and Kratos...and Feral makes fun of Mithos at one point...heh. Ah well, um, I don't have anything else to write so: here's the chapter!

**Feral: **How many times are you going to say that?

**---------------------**

Mithos' POV

Goddammit when I get my hands on Pronyma she's dead. But first…where the hell is Kratos?

"Kratos…"

"Yes?"

I glared at the man in the doorway, "Can you kindly explain to me _why_ you told Pronyma that I was missing?"

Kratos shrugged and kept his face emotionless, "Because you were missing. Besides I didn't _tell _her. She over heard."

"And you expect me to believe that?"

"Yes."

I sighed, "That's…not…ugh. Do you know what she did?"

"Went and dragged you back here from wherever you ran off to?"

"But I didn't _come back_ with Pronyma."

"Then you came back after she left?"

"Are you honestly that stupid?"

Kratos looked offended, but quickly hid it by coughing slightly and shrugging, "Fine then, what did she do?"

"She knocked Genis out and took him back to Venheim as a hostage."

Kratos' eyes widened, "Anything else?"

Heh, Kratos almost always knew when I wasn't telling him the whole story.

"Well, yeah. For one she said she knew something about him that I—or anyone else—did."

Kratos nodded his head, coughing lightly.

"Oh, and Lloyd and the others are probably going to go after her."

Kratos coughed rather loudly this time.

"Wh-what?"

"You heard me. And you of all people should know what would happen to them if they set foot in Venheim now."

"They…would be killed."

"Exactly. Now I know you wouldn't want that since Lloyd is your son and all and I would personally like to save Genis myself without their interference."

"And how exactly are we going to do that?"

"I do believe they know by now that they need to come here in order to find anything more about Venheim so we just wait and carry through with our plan to resurrect Martel using Colette—the Chosens—body."

Kratos' face paled, "I…see…you still want to go through with that…"

"Yes I do. But I will have to either leave you, or someone else—preferably you—to watch over her. I…want to go save Genis during that time."

"But how will we stall them?"

I smirked, "The only good thing about Pronyma is her…ability to create _interesting_ traps. I'm sure they will have to find their way out of them. That should be just long enough for me to go and retrieve Genis."

"And what about Pronyma?" "If I find her, she's dead. But something tells me she will leave before then."

Kratos nodded his head mutely, "When will they be here?"

"And how in gods name—if there are any gods—should I know?"

Kratos 'Hmph-ed' and walked out of the room, muttering something about him going to go check on them.

I sighed and shook my head, trying to formulate a plan for Genis' rescue.

Yes Pronyma was good at traps and the like, but when you were on the receiving end of them, it was _not_ pleasant in the least. And I knew that if I was going to save Genis that I'd have to go through one, or more, of her traps.

But then the question of where she took him in Venheim came up.

…and at times like these I really wished that there weren't so many rooms in that place.

But was it really my fault? I loved books and so there had to be at least ten rooms made into libraries.

Wait. Maybe Pronyma found something in one of those books…

That very thought made my face go pale.

Dammit! And I had left that spell book out in plain sight too!

----------------------

Genis' POV

Ugh…what happened?

I sat up groggily before clutching my stomach in pain.

Seriously, what happened?

I shivered lightly as an unnaturally cold wind rushed by me.

Where am I?

I blinked a few times, trying to clear my vision, and gasped.

I was in that mirror room again.

"_Oh good, you're awake!" _

Feral was here as well.

But that didn't really surprise me.

"Hey Feral. What happened?"

She blinked, as if confused, but then shook her head, as if afraid to tell me.

"_Um, well, let's just say that Pronyma attacked you back when you were with Mithos and your friends and, um, you passed out and she brought you here."_

"Here?"

_"Not to this room…"_

"I _know_ that Feral. And I also know that I'm not technically 'awake' either. Which reminds me, the last time I came here I had done…something bad. I had hurt Mithos and didn't remember how I did it. So what did I do this time?"

_"You…um…tried to get away from Pronyma. She wound up knocking you out again though. And your actual body is in one of the many rooms of Venheim in Derris Kharlan."  
_  
I blinked, "The…city of the elves…?"

Feral nodded her head.

"_Yes, apparently." _

I sighed, "Okay then…but do you know how we got here?"

_"Um, no not really. When you pass out I usually loose consciousness as well. But not for a long period of time like you do."  
_  
I nodded my head slowly, trying to stand, though wincing in pain once again.

"_I wouldn't move much if I were you. I mean, she hit you pretty hard in both the stomach and your head." _

"Yeah but _why_? I mean, I know she's our enemy and all but she'll follow any and all orders from Mithos—Yggdrasill—and I know he didn't want her to hurt me."

_"Have you ever thought about if she had a crush on Mithos? You would be in her way—no, you _are_ in her way." _

I gulped, "Uh…okay…now I'm wondering exactly what's going on…outside of here."

_'You do remember how to get out of here, correct?' _

I nodded my head, "Yeah, but now I'm not so sure I _want_ to go back. That woman's crazy! She'll probably kill me!"

'_Not unless your night in shining armor—or spandex—comes to your rescue.' _

I felt the blood rush to my face, "He…he's not…He does _not_ wear spandex when he's in Mithos' form!"

_'Your boyfriends addicted to spandex, your boyfriends addicted to spandex la-la-la-la-la!'_

I glared a Feral who merely giggled and backed away from me.

"Feral—ghh…if I could move--!"

Then a searing pain ripped through my back and I collapsed on the floor…

------------------------------------

Zelos' POV

We're finally here.

The Tower of Salvation…

I shuddered lightly as we walked past the familiar room with the dead bodies...all those coffins. I could end up being one of those.

The thought sickened me.

Though not as much as what I had to do when we reached the room with the Eternal Sword.

I wondered, glancing at Lloyd from the corner of my eye, would he forgive me? Would he still…trust me after this?

Ah, who am I kidding? Lloyd may be forgiving but he isn't _that_ forgiving. Even after I…told him I loved him. I doubt he'd go and just accept me back after all this is true.

Now I'm starting to question why I even joined Cruxis in the first place.

No, that was easy.

I wanted my title of 'Chosen' to be removed. Maybe then I could…be with Lloyd.

Because, from the way things were going now, Princess Hilda was the number one person I had to marry in order to keep the mana lineage clean and pure.

Oh gods, Lloyd, please forgive me.

We walk up to the teleporter…

Then, to our surprise, a rather annoyed Kratos showed up.

"So you're here."

"Dammit Kratos! Get out of our way!" Lloyd shouted, drawing his blades.

Heh, he was always one to rush into a fight regardless.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that." Kratos drew his blade as well.

And, just like that, we ran forward.

Metal against metal, the constant need to heal Lloyd—Yeesh, he can be really recless when he wants to be—and then there was trying to not let anyone faint…

In the end we beat Kratos, though he just smirked and called guards to his aid.

Oh crap.

"Dammit! We have to get out of here!"

We run out of the Tower, and out into the open day light. And lo-and-behold; Yuan is waiting for us at the bottom the stairs.

"There you are! Come, I know a secret way in!"

We followed him, though it really wasn't like we had any choice.

We walked into a nearby opening in some rocks and wound up one level below the seal room.

"Why did you help us?"

"Well, since Yggdrasill now knows I'm the leader of the Renegades we technically have to work together. Now don't take this the wrong way. I do _not_ want to become your friends. Now then, if you take that teleporter over there it should lead you to the room with the seal." With that he hurried away, not even giving us a chance to say anything.

Man that guy could be really cold sometimes.

"Hey look! There's an item machine over here! Let's buy some stuff and get on with it!"

"I…agree. I'm worried about Genis." Raine whispered, cluching her oak staff even tighter. Though she may hide it I was more than sure that she was more than 'worried'. She was probably down right hysterical about her younger brothers safety.

But then again, why would she be?

He was, to my knowledge, her only family left.

I know I'd be the same way if Seles and I were a little closer.

I shook my mind of these thoughts as we made our way to the teleporter. I cringed lightly as we entered the room, knowing that I would have to be spouting obscene lies to my friends in mere seconds.

I walked forward, "Now then, let me take care of this…hmm, hey Colette, c'mere a sec."

"Huh? Oh, okay!"

Boy was she an idiot. Gods I would have to apologize to her later for this.

"Stand right here, I think, since you're the one that's going to be Martels vessel and all, it might work…hmm…"

The ring started glowing, teleporting us up to the upper level…where Kratos appeared again.

"Wha—Kratos—Zelos! What's going on?" Lloyd cried out, attempting to run at us.

"Heh, it's foolish to stop us. Now then, Chosen. If you still wish to remove that title of yours, then we must leave now."

I merely nodded my head, thankful that I hadn't had to spout lies like I thought I had.

Now I was only hurting them by the betrayal.

Which in some respects could be ten times worse.

"Wait…you're…with Cruxis?" Lloyds seemed shocked at this and sad. It hurt to hear him, and see him, look like that.

"Yeah, well, like I said before, I side with the strongest. And Cruxis so happened to win above you and the Renegades."

"You were leaking information to the Renegades too?" Sheena cried out, looking generally pissed.

And I couldn't blame her.

"I always knew you were a philandering idiot but I never doubted that you were a good person!"

Gee, Sheena, how sweet of you. It's a little too late to say that now don't you think?

"Dammit Zelos…I still trust you do you hear me? I still…trust you…"

And indeed I had heard him, as we teleported out of the room.

And I was so glad…

Glad that he, out of everyone else, still trusted me.

And that…is what made my decision. I would help them, no matter what.

I would help them defeat Mithos—Yggdrasill.

I walked down the hall to the Great Seed Chamber watching as Colette struggled in Kratos' grip.

"Let me go! Let me go! Zelos, how could you do this? I thought you—"

"Shut up." Kratos growled, making her clamp her mouth shut immediately.

I sighed, she was right. How could I do this?

Don't worry, Colette, when your friends are in danger, when Lloyd is in danger, I will save them.

And I will return to your side.

Because right now, my title as Chosen, or soon to be lack thereof, is not as important as my title of friendship—and possibly more in Lloyds case—to you all.

---------------------

**Me: **D'aww…I got all fuzzy inside when I typed those last lines…Zelos can be so sweet sometimes!

**Feral: **Yes, I suppose someone like him can be…not that I know him that well. Though I am happy that I'm in this chapter!

**Me: **Of course you are! And all my reviewers are getting a treat cuz this chap. Is up right after I posted up my ninth chapter.

**Feral: **That's true, lucky them.

**Me: **Oh yes, and when you were singing about how Mithos—Yggdrasill—had a thing for spandex, that came from Nady-Kuns strip about how Spandex will take over the world (ToSyonkoma2byYukitheFox on DeviantArt for those who haven't seen it). That was so funny that I just had to add that in there! I hope you don't mind!


	11. Rescued and Trapped

**Me: **And here's Part Eleven!

**To Understand: Part Eleven**

**Rescued and Trapped  
**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews:**

**Hiranieas-**Yup seven minutes two times...if you think you can get a lower time then go for it! And no Mithos is NOT going to die. So do NOT worry! I'm actually planning on this to have a happy ending (of course it has to have one if it's going to have a coughsequelcough). And yes, Pronyma will die…at some point…

**Nady-Kun-**Ah well, I can't say that all the lines in the last chapter were actually correct cuz I don't really remember them either…but yeah! Zelos is a nice guy despite some…things…he does! Oh yes and about the spandex I didn't want to say just a 'knight in shining armor' which I think is personally used way too much…and then I came across that strip and was like 'hey this is funny maybe I could put knight in shining "spandex" instead!' but I'm glad it cracked you up…I'm not good at writing humor so…yeah! Here's the next chapter**  
**

**Me: **Oy, okay I'm updating a little fast now…

**Feral: **And whose fault is that?

**Me: **Um, well, the ideas just keep flowing and the reviewers keep on reviewing (and that's a good thing)!

**Feral: **So it's your fault?

**Me: **…uh…just do the disclaimer like you're supposed to.

**Feral: **Harmony283 does not own Tales of Symphonia or any of its squeezable huggable characters. Though she does, in fact, own me and the Plot…so yeah…

**Me: **Okay that's good.

**Feral: **And again, thank you. But I'm going to just _have _to ask: Am I in this chapter?

**Authors Note: **Yes Feral, you are. Now anyway…this chapter has where everyone gets caught in those traps (though I'm not too sure I have them in the right order). Oh yes, and I wonder exactly what happened to Genis…you should find that out in this chapter…

---------------------------------

Genis' POV

"Oww…wha--?"

I blinked and sat up, confused.

"Where am I now?"

Great, first I'm trapped in that mirror world with Feral and now I'm in a…library. But then again Feral did say that I had been taken to Venheim…so this must be a room somewhere in there.

I looked around, Pronyma didn't seem to be here at the moment, so I might as well see what type of books are here.

I stood up and gasped, pain shot through my limbs, causing me to fall back onto the ground.

What was going on?

_'Look in the mirror!' _

"Why--?"

I turned to look at the only mirror in the room. It was a full length mirror with some type of language carved around the border.

Then I saw my reflection in the mirror…

I…was covered in blood.

My clothes, or rather what was left of them, were soaked practically through. My wings had somehow come out during all this, and instead of the crystalline blue they were blood red from an obvious wound on my back.

Did Pronyma do this?

_'I'm sure she probably did. But don't worry, I think she knew Mithos was coming and left.' _

"Really? That's great--"

Then the door to the room was smashed through.

"Dammit, Pronyma…she got away…"

It was Mithos and he looked extremely angry. His eyes then fell on me, and he gasped, all the anger that had once been displayed on it vanished completely.

He rushed forward and bent down to me, trying hard not to touch my wounds, "Are you…what…happened?"

"I-I don't know!" I choked on a sob, which was quickly covered as Mithos kissed me for the second time.

When he pulled away I flinched, his stare was now on the wings that were present on my back.

Great, now he was going to ask how I got them.

And it wasn't like I could explain it.

"You…have wings?"

I nodded my head, "Y-Yeah…" 

"When?"

"I…" I felt something wet trail down the side of my face and knew that I was crying.

Mithos' eyes softened as he saw this. He brought a hand up, wiping off the tear with a single finger before cupping the side of my face in the palm of the said hand. He then moved and kissed the other tear away (A/N: I think I read this in a fan-fic somewhere…I don't remember who wrote it though…).

"I-I…they hurt…"

"What hurts?"

"My…wings…I think Pro-Pronyma…did something…"

Mithos cursed slightly under his breath before pulling me, rather awkwardly, onto his lap.

"Do you…remember anything that she did?" He asked as I nuzzled my face into his chest. He had done this before.

Holding me, I mean.

He did it all the time whenever we were alone at Altessas.

I sighed softly, and saw him faintly smile before my eyes lidded and I fell into a rather peaceful sleep.

------------------------

Mithos' POV

I smiled at the now slumbering boy in my arms. I was so glad that he was safe. And yet I was so angry that Pronyma did this to him.

That and the fact that she ran away.

I sighed softly shifting slightly so that I could stand up easier without disturbing Genis from his obviously much needed sleep.

I stood up slowly and began to walk towards the door…

When Genis suddenly stirred.

For a second I thought he was going to wake up but instead he snuggles closer and…

Purrs…like a cat.

I smirked, he was so…cute…great, don't think about him in that Katz suit! Don't! Bad Mithos bad!

Now I was even wondering where that horrible little fetish came from.

Hmm…

Wait! This isn't time to be thinking about that! Genis is hurt and I have to go to the Great Seed Chamber to make sure all the preparations are complete!

But if I took Genis with me…and Zelos was there, whom is now more than just 'friends' with Lloyd, he might think that I did something.

Which I certainly did not.

Once outside that room I carefully extended my wings before teleporting back to my chamber in the Tower of Salvation.

At least here he would be reasonably okay.

I placed him down on the bed, trying my best not to ruffle his already tattered looking angel wings.

Which brought back the question of how he got them.

I knew for certain that I didn't give them to him, and neither did Zelos, Kratos, or Yuan.

Besides, why would he even have them? I mean, he has a regular exsphere…

…right?

I glance absentmindedly down at his hand, unfortunately it was still bandaged from yesterday…when he apparently broke a mirror.

I had questions about that too.

But I would feel sorry for waking the boy.

But…I needed to know!

And even now I had to wonder why it was important. He could just tell me after this is all over and done with.

But then again, one of us, most likely me from the way things are looking, may die. And that wouldn't solve a thing.

It would just leave us with more questions.

Questions that would never be answered.

I gave one last sad glance to Genis before turning and walking out of the room.

I quickly changed into my older form and teleported to the Great Seed Chamber.

…And was pleasantly surprised to see that Kratos was there.

Good.

"Ah--Yggdrasill…I just placed her in the machine…it will take some time…" 

"It's fine. We have time to spare. Where is Zelos?"

"He said he was going to go recheck the traps…to make sure they worked sufficiently.

"I…see…" 

-------------------

Zelos' POV

Gods, Kratos must be really dense.

I mean I practically told him that I was going to go save everyone from those traps and he still let me go.

Well, it wasn't really that surprising. He is, after all, Lloyds father…

And they had to have at least some family resemblance, right?

Right.

Now here I was waiting in the control room to see if they had triggered any traps yet.

And thankfully they hadn't.

But I knew that, by now, Yggdrasill was probably back from wherever he ran off to.

It made me wonder exactly where 'wherever' was.

Ever since this morning I had a suspicion about him and Genis.

It wasn't like him to just 'visit' a friend.

Or save one for that matter.

One part of my brain was screaming that Genis could very well be on his side, but if he was then why did Pronyma capture him? And what did she mean by 'I know something you don't'?

I groaned softly, leaning back in my chair, "Well I guess I have time to think about it…"

I glanced once more at the different screens before wrapping myself in my thoughts.

Yggdrasill, from what I learned from Kratos and Yuan, never cared so much about another person. So it was really strange that he'd go and protect Genis when he did when we came here, to the Tower of Salvation in Tethe'alla for the first time.

And of course the very fact that Yggdrasill showed up in his child form last night unnerved me. He obviously knew Genis was the night guard.

Which made me wonder what they had been talking about.

Raine really didn't give much info on it. She may be beautiful…but she sure was secretive. Not that I could say anything about that. I was too.

"Hnn…now what could Pro--" I blinked and jumped up when I saw the muscle man, Regal, fighting off angels in the first room.

So he's the first to go down, eh? Well, I'm sure he can hold his own so he isn't a major saver.

Okay then…next they were going to the tree room. Sheena would probably take care of that room in a jiffy.

But that left me to wonder if she needed immediate saving or not.

"Hmm, I wonder…will my precious lil' hunny need saving?" I smirked, leaning back in the chair once more to watch.

Of course it was no surprise when I saw Lloyd leading the group. That was technically his job and it always has been.

He looked so serious, which was good since there really wasn't any time to goof off…

And there they were, standing in front of the weird tree thing.

And just like the idiot he is, Lloyd walked forward.

And of course was attacked by a tree limb.

The adorable idiot.

Sheena says something to him and he stands back.

Now she's summoning the Summon Spirits from Sylvarant.

Ah, this must be her version of the mana Canon.

My what a smart hunny.

I watched as she readied the mana cannon and shot it at the tree like monster, which promptly stopped it from shoot its branches down to the pathway below it. She said something to Lloyd, who soon ran under the tree followed by everyone who was still there.

Everyone ran towards the teleporter, but Lloyd stopped and turned around, that's when the bridge broke.

And Sheena collapsed to the ground.

After a brief conversation with Lloyd he turned to leave.

Then it happened.

The supposedly dead remain of the crazy Great Tree shot out a branch, grabbing her ankle.

Lloyd seemed shocked at this, and so was I. She must have used up most of her energy if she couldn't dodge that!

And now she was being dragged into the pit. But she seemed to be holding on…

Then Lloyd turned and ran out of the room. I assumed she promised him that she'd be okay. And if there was one thing I ever learned from Sheena is that she never lied.

Now then the next place they should be going to is that control room with the…

Weird floor.

It seems like Pronyma really liked making people fall.

"Hmm, so Raine's most likely next since I doubt Lloyd and Presea know how to work equipment like that…hmm…well, the floor doesn't give way immediately. I'm sure she'll be fine."

Just like I suspected, every time a door opened, a floor panel fell.

After three tries, all the doors were open and the very platform Raine was standing on started shaking. But it wouldn't fall immediately…

Lloyd ran through after listening to something she had to say--heh, even now the Professor still loves to give speeches--he ran through the door followed by Presea.

Now the next room had a similar feature.

The only difference was the door that had to be open was the one leading them into the room.

And of course, Presea would open it.

I mean, she's the only one small enough to fit through that hole.

…And I was right again. When the duo arrived at the entrance to that room, the door was locked. Presea seemed to suggest something--and at times like this I really wished this thing had speakers so I could actually hear what was going on--and soon Lloyd hefted her up to the small entrance, letting her crawl through to the other side.

I switched screens and saw that Presea was now typing on a strange looking machine, obviously trying to find the switch that opened the door.

She did, after a while, and the door opened. But the thing about this room though, was that once the front door was open, a sliding door would close on the other end--the end that led to the teleporter in the next room.

Now what were they going to do?

Presea seemed to notice the sliding door falling rather quickly and ran towards it, only to me stopped by yet another limb remain from earlier. It tried to pull her into a nearby crack in the wall, but before it did, she managed to use her ax to stop the door from moving any closer to the floor.

Ah my smart little rosebud.

Lloyd entered the room a few seconds later and obviously tried to get Presea loose…of which she, like the rest, refused.

Lloyd didn't complain much this time, all he did was run and dive under the door, breaking the ax as he reached the other side.

Ah, poor kid. All his friends protected him and he doesn't even know why.

I got up slowly from the chair I had been sitting in and stretched.

Now it was time for me to go and play 'hero'.

Then I remembered.

Wasn't there supposed to be another trap?

----------------------------------------------------

Lloyds POV

I…couldn't believe it.

Here I am, crouched down behind some rubble, trying my best to avoid being seen by some angels floating around, thinking over the events that had just transpired.

My friends…every single one of them…they risked their lives all so I could get here.

All so that I could save Colette, fight Yggdrasill, and find Genis.

But…why?

Didn't they want to stand by me and fight as well?

I was so confused.

I saw an opening and ran forward towards the teleporter before any monsters could chase after me, and warped to the next, and hopefully final, room.

Oh wait—there's a teleporter at the other end of the room. Maybe that'll lead me to the main room.

But isn't this a little too easy?

…Oh well, I guess whoever set those traps thought I'd be done for all ready.

I run forward, then suddenly, right when I reached an intersection, translucent bubble like walls appeared, blocking off every passageway one by one.

…This really _was_ too easy.

Dammit! How was I supposed to get anywhere now?

"Go, DEMON FANG!" I cried out, slashing at the ground, creating a shock wave, which momentarily caused there to be an opening in the odd wall. Unfortunately it sealed back up.

"Argh! Stupid trap! This one wasn't nearly as hard as the rest…and…and everyone's counting on me dammit!"

Like screaming would do any good right now.

These walls obviously didn't have ears.

But that wasn't really important, now was it?

I mean, I have to get out of here, but how?

"Lloyd!"

I blinked, "Wha—?" That had sounded like Zelos' voice.

But…he was a traitor…I shouldn't let this get to me, but…

"Lloyd! Ah—good, have you been stuck there long?"

Yup that was Zelos' voice, but where was—oh…

Zelos appeared as if from thin air, though I knew he had come in through the warp ring, and stood in front of me, on the other side of the wall, with a worried smile on his face.

"No I haven't been stuck here…long…but, what are you doing here?"

He flinched, "Oh, ouch, hunny, that really hurt. And here I thought you'd be oh so happy that I was comin' to save ya!" He smiled, though it was fake and I could tell that I had hurt him with what I had said.

"But why? You work for Cruxis now, don't you?"

"Shyeah, about that," Zelos shifted his weight between his feet and gave me a cocky grin, "I quit!"

"You what?"

"I quit! The only reason I joined in the first place was cuz Yggdrasill said he could remove the title of Chosen from me, but after I betrayed you guys I thought it over and decided that you're more important than any old title." He smiled this time, walking towards the translucent wall. He grabbed his sword and swung it viciously, causing a rift that just kept on growing.

"Eh? Hey! When I tried to attack it a few seconds ago it just closed back up!"

"It's like a bubble."

"What?"

"You can't pop a bubble on the inside now can you?"

I thought about it…well, technically no, since you can't get inside a bubble but…what a weird analogy.

"Um, I guess you can't…but—" I was cut off.

Zelos had pulled me into an extremely tight embrace.

"Ack—Zelos I can't breath!"

He immediately let go and grinned again, "Heh, sorry bud. Look, I think you might want to hurry it up a bit don't cha think? I mean, Yggdrasill is probably already in that…place…so yeah, you'll want to hurry it up and save Colette."

I nodded my head, "Yeah I should. What are you going to do though?"

"What else is there to do? I'm going to go save your friends from their…situations. I'll bring them all to ya when I get them, m'kay?" He blew me a kiss before running off in the opposite direction.

I sighed and shook my head. He really was an idiot.

But I loved him anyway.

I turned to face the warp ring on the floor, walking forward hurriedly.

I arrived in a room that was different from the rest. There was a green tiled floor walkway leading across to the other side of the room. Since it seemed like the only pathway there I walked towards it.

One step on the green tiles though, and they fell.

"Aww crap, it looks like it's a one-way road from here on out…well, here it goes!" I jumped over the small gap, and started running while arrows started shooting at me from the sides.

Meraculously I made it all the way to the other side without harm.

Only to step on a particular tile and have something shooting out from a nearby wall and aim at my chest.

Crap.

The impact, and the shock, made me fall to my knees, but only for a few minutes.

When I got up I realized that it was...

A knife.

But that's strange. If it had hit me dead on I would've been dead, or at least severally wounded.

And yet, I was fine.

I removed the knife from my clothes, and then pulled out whatever was underneath it.

It was…

Zelos' Cruxis Crystal.

"You…saved me…Zelos…"

I smiled, "Thank you…" 

---------------------------------

**Me: **And that's the end of Part Eleven!

**Feral: **Yes it is. But I wonder…what happened to Genis?

**Me: **You mean besides getting attacked by Pronyma? Well, you'll just have to find out…

**Feral: **But you said you'd find out in the Authors Note in the beginning…

**Me: **Ah, you're right! Oh well, things change…well, as always I hope you like the chapter and please R&R!


	12. The Confusion of Ones Meanings

**Me: **And here's Part Twelve!

**Feral: **Yes…Part Twelve…

**Me: **And I have 1083 hits (the last time I checked)!

**To Understand: Part Twelve**

**The Confusion of Ones Meanings**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: 2**

**Hiranieas-**…I go away for five minutes and…you review! Congrats! And, um, no…Zelos doesn't die…sorry if I made it sound like that –eep-! Cuz if he dies then who'll save everyone? Um, yeah…just thought I'd clear that up a bit. So, um, yeah, here's the next chapter! I hope you like it!

**Nady-Kun:** Wow, you were actually keeping up with all the bad things that happened to him? Eh-heh-heh…I'm the author and even I wasn't keeping up with them (I wrote them down somewhere once -shuffles through huge stacks of US history notes-)…And no, Genis won't die. Most of the blood that's covering him isn't even his. Though he did get hurt on the back…so yeah, we're cool there. Ah yeah, I'm playing through the game on my 3rd time now, and yeah, I remember how valiant everyone was, risking their lives for Lloyd (I'm actually almost to that part!). As for the purr, heh, I always imagined that he'd purr whenever he felt safe or comfortable around someone—lucky Mithos. Anyways here's the next Chapter--I hope you like it!

**Me: **I'm on Part Twelve, Part Twelve!

**Feral: **…Yes you are…

**Me: **What?

**Feral: **You do realize that you just added on possibly another two chapters…don't you?

**Me: **Oh hush! We won't know that until we get there…got it?

**Feral: **Got it.

**Me: **…So how about doing the disclaimer?

**Feral: **Harmony283doesnotownTalesofSymphoniasheonlyownsmeandtheplot! –Inhales deeply the exhales-and she also hates really huge History tests that she has to stay up till 1 AM in the morning to study for…is that good enough?

**Authors Note: **…Yeah…um...that was good. Okay then! In this Chapter you should get to see the fight against Mithos/Yggdrasill…except for it has a twist in it since, you know, Pronyma kinda sorta disappeared (I made her sound ten times meaner than I intended but oh well…) and Kratos can't die…so um, yeah. Also Genis wakes up and…you'll figure out what happened to him (hopefully)!

**-----------------------------**

Genis' POV

I shiver slightly, a cold chill running down my spine.

I pry my eyes open, even though my eye lids felt like deadweights at the moment, and found myself staring at a white, tile ceiling.

Where was I?

I try moving my arms, they move, but just barely.

I felt around beside me, expecting to feel the hard floor underneath, only to find that I was laying on something soft.

Was it a bed?

_'Yes it's a bed. And I'm glad to see you're awake. Can you move at all?'_

"Oh…Feral…what…where…am I?"

_'You're in the Tower of Salvation. Mithos brought you back.' _

"Oh…I…don't…remember…"

_'Well you were pretty knocked out when he found you. You fell asleep immediately…when he held you.' _

Despite the fact that I was wounded, and that I was tired, I still felt my face flush at the way she said that.

"I…I…" 

_'Now then, as fun as it is to tease you, I'll ask again: can you move?'_

"S-sorta…"

I tried moving once more, only to wince again.

"Gg…My back…"

_ 'It seems you got wounded rather severely on your back…' _

"Gee, and you don't think I already know that!"

_'Well you don't need to get so…huffy at me y'know!"_

"Yeah well, I need to get out of here but I can't even move!"

_'Where would you go?'_

I blinked, that's a good question. Where _would_ I go? I don't know my way around the Tower of Salvation so I doubt I'd be able to find an exit any time soon…

_'If it helps any I remember seeing Mithos go through that teleporter.'_ Feral said, pointing to one of three warp rings in the room.

"Um…who has a warp ring in their room? I thought he could just, y'know, warp wherever he wanted to with his 'angel powers'."

_'Well obviously he didn't feel like it…hmm, or maybe he just likes the way they look.'_

"He…are you making fun of him?"

_'Well he does wear one-piece spandex so…' _

"So?"

_'His tastes are obviously strange…not that I can say yours are any better.'_

"Hey! What I wear…well, it's Raines fault!"

'_Well fine, whatever. Now I'm telling you Mithos went through that warp point so it must lead to wherever he was going…'_

"I…that's…well, this is the Tower of Salvation and he's trying to revive the Great Seed so…it'd probably to, or at least close to, that room."

_ 'Well, if that's where you believe he went, then that's where he went. Now the only question is: are you going to follow him?' _

I glared at the ceiling, "You don't have to say it like _that_."

'_No, of course I don't. But under certain conditions—meaning that you hurt your back—I don't think you _can_ follow him.' _

"Well duh. Besides, even if I could I wouldn't."

'_And why not? I thought you said that your friends were trying to stop him or something…' _

"Well yeah, we are. But they're most likely not there yet and I wouldn't wanna run the risk of running into Pronyma again."

'_What makes you think she's going to be there?'_

"Ah…uh…I think she'd probably try apologizing to Mithos about what she did."

'_And you think she'd forgive you?' _

"He…might?"

'_You must have lost a lot of blood…especially for it to affect your thinking capabilities. _

"Okay…I'm taking that as an insult."

'_But I'm just worried about your health!' _Feral whined with fake child-like innocence. Genis sighed and stuck his tongue out, but the remembering that her voice was just in his head, and not anywhere else.

Hmm…who was Feral anyway?

_ 'Genis…?' _

"Feral, who are you?"

'_Wh—what brought that up?' _She seemed nervous.

"Does it matter? You've been in my head since…well, since we came to Tethe'alla and I know it's unnatural to have someone elses voice in my head."

'_Is it really now?'_

"Phfft, now you're the one being sarcastic."

'_Hey!' _

"What? But it's true! I just asked you who you were…"

'_I already told you, my name is Feral and twelve years ago I was sealed away in this mirror with my masters Exsphere—now Cruxis Crystal—which you now have.'_

"Yeah you told me that…but that's just the basics. Who were you when you were unsealed, and couldn't you have chosen anyone besides me to talk to?"

'_I don't really remember who I was before I was sealed in this place…and I though I already went over about why I chose you.' _

"Yeah, it was your own choice…but why _me_? I mean, it could've been anyone in Sylvarant…"

'_Well I just decided to choose you…okay? Now can you at least get up?'_

I sat up slowly, my back still hurt considerably…but I guess it was better than when I tried a few seconds ago.

"I think I might be able to walk…um…" I glanced down at my clothes, they had turned a kind of disgusting purple-brown color from the dried blood.

'_You know if your friends are there…they're going to wonder what happened…' _

"Yeah! And what's worse it they might blame it on Mithos!"

_ 'Well, considering he is their enemy…it wouldn't surprise me.'_

"Yeah it wouldn't surprise me either but regardless their plan is to kill him when they see him so I have to go regardless of how I look!"

I stood up slowly, using the bed as a type of balancing agent, then made my way slowly towards the Warp Ring, hoping that I wasn't too late.

-------------------------

Mithos POV

I sighed, a smirk on my lips as I watched my sisters soul being sucked into Colettes body. This…is what I've always wanted.

For Martel to be alive again.

Though this might not be her body…it would have to do until I could somehow manage to recreate her body.

And who knows how long that would take.

A sudden 'crack' noise could be heard along with the opening of a door.

I whirled around to see Lloyd standing there looking generally pissed off.

"Hey! Let Colette go!"

I sighed and shook my head, "I don't know how you got in here, but that really doesn't matter. It is almost complete anyway…now die."

I floated ever so casually over to brunette, forming a ball of pure mana to shock him with. It should be enough to end his life.

"Fire ball!"

Well, well, well, wasn't that voice familiar?

"Wha—Everyone! You're okay!" Lloyd cried out, looking up at the small balcony that was in the room.

"Pah. I see you really were going to betray me in the end." I muttered as I saw the red-haired chosen there, smirking like no tomorrow.

"Ah well, I decided getting my title removed was less important than my friendship with these guys." He said, motioning to everyone else on the balcony.

"Grr, well then, I have no choice but to—"

"Yggdrasill, the transformation is complete." Kratos murmured, though he didn't seem too happen about my attempt to kill Lloyd.

But then again, he should have known this was coming.

"Hmm really now?" I watched as Martels old body disappeared and the capsule Colette had been placed in opened.

Martel walked out, "Ah—Mithos…what…happened…? What have you done…?"

"Dearest sister…" I murmured, changing back to my younger form, "I'm glad you're awake and…"

"What have you done?" She asked again, sounding like she was about to cry.

Why did she remind me of Genis?

"I…what…?"

"What happened to the world?"

I glared at her, "What do you mean what happened to the world? You said you wanted a place where half-elves could live freely!"

'_He's not evil, just misdirected.' _

I shook my head, why were those words Genis said coming back to me?

_ '…What if…we brought her back a different way?'_

Did he know she would be upset?

No! Of course not!

"You don't…you wouldn't…"

Before I could stop myself I had formed yet another ball of pure mana, readying it so that I could attack Martel.

It was that damn Colette! Even though she was 'dead' she still must have an influence over Martel!

Dammit!

"Woah now!" Zelos cried out, jumping down from the balcony and pushing Colette away.

"Why you—idiot Chosen!"

"Why thank you. But if you want to kill lil' ol' Colette here, you have to get through us first!" He said with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah! That's right! Colette's like a sister to me, I won't let you hurt her!" Lloyd said, making me turn to face him.

"…There…that should do."

"Huh?"

Dammit! I whirled around and saw that Colette had gained consciousness.

"Mithos…please…as my last words, restore peace back to this world…"

"but sister--!"

"Maybe…maybe…"

The sound of someone teleporting in here could be heard.

We all turned to face the single warp ring to see who came through it.

Though I had a sneeking suspicion of who it was.

And I was right.

Genis stood there, in on the warp ring, now really looking anywhere. His eyes had a strange, almost glazed, look to them.

He must've lost more blood than I thought.

Though he did look relatively better than he had when I had brought him here.

I heard Raine, along with Lloyd and everyone else—even Kratos—gasp at the sight before them.

"Genis! Oh gods…what happened to you!" Raine asked, her voice high pitched in fear and worry.

But Genis didn't answer. He was looking over at the Great Seed.

"You…are Genis…?"

I jumped, that was Martels voice.

So she wasn't completely dead yet?

But why?

Why was Colette letting her…?

Genis turned to face Colette/Martel.

"You…?" He then smiled, realizing who she was, "Yes…that's me. You must be Martel, right?"

"Yes I am…" she seemed sad.

"What happened…?"

Genis shook his head, not answering her, but instead looked back at the Great Seed.

"You know…I don't think that was the smartest idea…"

"What…?"

"The Great Seed is dying quickly. You won't have enough time to escape if that happens."

I blinked, "Oh really?"

"Yeah, really." Now he was looking at me, a hint of anger, and yet some sadness, present in his eyes, "You, along with everyone else will die. So I suggest Martel…go back to your Cruxis Crystal. I know it seems cruel but I'm sure there's another way to revive you without loosing the Great Seed." 

Colette/Martel smiled, and even this was sad, "Yes…I will go…I can't stay in this girls body for much longer. Goodbye Mithos."

I blinked watching as a green light surrounded Colette, seeping into the Great Seed, causing her to faint.

"Colette!" Lloyd ran over to the fainted blond, looking surprised and worried. 

All the while my gaze never left the white haired half-elf.

"There's…another way…?"

Genis smiled, "Yeah, I'm sure there is…" 

Then, he fell to the ground in a dead faint.

-------------------------------------

**Me: **Phew…Part Twelve done!

**Feral: **Yes…but weren't they supposed to fight Mithos in this Chapter?

**Me: **…Well, yeah…but I didn't want to go through that whole 'Mithos in a Cruxis Crystal' thing so yeah, I changed it.

**Feral: **Meh, you're the authoress not me. But don't you have something to tell to the reviewers?

**Me: **Oh yes, I originally wasn't going to draw anything for this fic, since I can't draw Genis and Mithos well, but I ended up drawing Feral! If you wanna see her pic, then just go to my bio and go under To Understand and for Artwork it should have a little link to it. This is how Feral looks as a human…and I think I might've gotten her eye color wrong but meh.

**Feral: **…I look so cute…wow…my looks really are deceiving.

**Me: **Yes, yes they are. Now R&R please! I love hearing from people!


	13. To Heimdall, Genis' Treatment

**Me: **Phew…done with Chapter Thirteen already!

**Feral: **You…really do have a lot of free time on your hands don't you?

**Me: **Yup! Now I hope everyone likes this Chapter as well! And now I have 1165 hits! Only 35 more and I'll be at 1200! Yay!

**To Understand: Part Thirteen**

**To Heimdall, Genis' Treatment**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: 2**

**Hiranieas-**Yes, there _is_ another way, but what is that way? Hmm, you'll find out soon enough. And yes, Genis is basically the one who keeps Mithos good. He helps cuz he loves him and that brings out Mithos' humane side, which is the side of him that was supposedly 'lost' 4000 years ago. Well, here's the next Chapter, I hope you like it!

**Liu Barrowing-**Yay! A new reviewer! And yes I definitely agree with you on the fact that we need more Mithos/Yggdrasill X Genis fanfics. Most are only one-shots, which aren't bad, but I'd like more than one full length fic (and hey! I'm writing one!). I'm also glad you like Feral. More often than not my OC's turn out to be really softhearted either that or just down right mean. But since Feral was the first ever OC I created I guess she's just…different…but yeah, I'm glad you like her! Here's the next Chapter, I hope you like it!

Feral: …Creative title…

**Me: **Eh, oh yeah! It is isn't it? –Sarcastic- No really, it's better than it sounds.

**Feral: **Hmm, Whatever you say. I guess I should do the disclaimer now?

**Me: **-nods head-yes you should!

**Feral: **Harmony283 doesn't own ToS. She will never own ToS. Namco always will own ToS. All Harmony283 owns is the Plot and the cute lil' me…so please don't sue, and don't steal!

**Authors Note-**Good job Feral. Okay basically in this chapter everything in the Tower of Salvation gets wrapped up. So, yeah…um, I can't really remember much but the Tower of Salvation doesn't get destroyed…or it will, but not by Mithos. And YES Mithos hasn't 'died'! But…since he hasn't, what'll happen next?

---------------------------

Raines POV

I…I don't know what to say.

I'm standing here, staring at the two fainted forms of Colette and Genis, my brother, and I can't seem to speak.

But why?

Well, yes, it was quite a shock to see Genis the way he was…I'm hoping that the blood on his shirt isn't…all his.

I wonder how he got like that?

Did Pronyma do that?

…Or did she have orders?

It wouldn't surprise me if Mithos was just pretending last night. But…but he seemed so…

No!

Don't let empathy seep in now!

But he seemed so angry, like he really didn't know why Genis had been taken.

Which reminded me, Pronyma said she would take him to Venheim…

But then how did he end up here, in the Tower of Salvation?

Did she bring him back?

Or…or did Mithos save him?

"Ack! Not Genis too!" Lloyd cried out, still keeping a grip on Colettes limp form but looking over at Genis worriedly.

Mithos…just seemed to be standing there, looking between the Great Seed and Genis, his eyes glazed over in apparent thought.

He then walked over to my brother…

And that's when I snapped out of it.

"Genis! Get away from my brother!" I snap, running forward.

Mithos doesn't seem fazed at all, and he checks Genis' pulse.

"Good, he's still alive."

He seemed so relieved…

"You should think about healing him soon."

I blinked, Mithos was now backing away from us, though he seemed to keep his gaze on Genis.

"But what happened to him!"

Mithos turned his gaze to mine, his eyes that were normally cold were now somewhat worried, "How should I know?"

"…"

What could I say to that?

"What do you mean by that? Genis is our friend and we all know Pronyma works for you! What happened?"

…Apparently Lloyd did have something to say to that.

"I told you I don't know what happened. Pronyma…is not here. She was gone when…"

"When you…saved him…?"

Why did I say those words?

Mithos' eyes widened, then he looked down, almost ashamed, "If I could have stopped her…if she had still been there, she wouldn't be alive now."

As he said this his hand turned to into a fist and his voice took a venomous tone to it. Though this apparent anger never reached his eyes.

"You…why would you…kill her for something like that?" Lloyd asked, shocked.

"Yes. We…are enemies." Presea said, her voice carrying a slightly curious note to it.

"I have my reasons."

"And what are those reasons?"

"What makes you think I have to answer that?" He glared at me, though not hatefully, "Just…heal him. He's your younger brother isn't he? And…if he says…that there is another way to revive Martel…" he trailed off looking up at the Great Seed again.

His eyes looked so sad.

"I don't think we'll get anywhere by just standing here." Kratos, who had been so quiet the entire time, said from beside that strange capsule like machine that Colette had been in.

"Yes…you're right. I'm…tired. I'm going back now."

"But--! Grr…why would Genis'…why would you take his words seriously when he's your enemy! You never listened us so why him?" Lloyd cried out, glaring at the back of our enemy.

Mithos seemed to tense up as he said that.

"I don't think it matters."

"But…you've been wrong before haven't you?"

"Kratos shut up!"

"Wrong before…?"

"about this sort of thing." Kratos explained, a now apparent smirk on his face.

What was that all about?

---------------------------------------

Lloyds POV

This is just too confusing.

What did—or rather why did—Mithos listen to Genis? Why…why did he look like he was so worried a few seconds ago?

Well they used to be friends, yeah, but I don't think they could've stayed friends after Mithos betrayed him…

Or could he have?

I mean, Mithos just doesn't up and save someone. Or at least no evil person like him could.

Genis was the same race as him, did he feel empathy?

No, probably not. Or else he would've treated Raine the same. That and he's killed countless numbers of people, some of which, I'm sure, are half-elves.

And what exactly did Kratos mean? And what about this sort of thing? He's being very vague.

But then again, he always has been.

"Heh, whatever. I'm going back now."

Was it just me or did he seem nervous?

But what is there for him to be nervous about?

"Fine." We watched as Mithos, our enemy, teleported away.

"Hmm, he won't be bothering you for a while, so I will be waiting for you at Origins seal…as for the Aionis, you'll have to figure out how to get that yourself."

"Oh I don't think so…" Zelos, who had been unnaturally quiet during the entire conversation, suddenly spoke up.

"Huh?"

"Here." He leaned down to where I was and handed me a strange…rock.

"What…? How did you…get Aionis?" Kratos seemed shocked, but hid it quickly.

"Oh, that's why I did that whole betrayal thingy. Yggdrasill—Mithos would dare part with something like this so I had to steal when he wasn't looking."

"Oh…"

"Hmm, you're as clever as I thought. Now that that's solved, I will be waiting at Origins seal. There, you will fight me." With that Kratos walked out of the room.

"What…?"

"Well, it looks like he's serious. So why don't we get these two," Zelos motioned to Colette and Genis, "And go to Heimdall?"

"Yes, it looks like Genis is…in need of immediate medical service."

I sighed and nodded my head. That was definitely on the top of our priority list. Genis…whatever happened with Pronyma…he must have…fought back. But regardless his wounds, especially the visible one on his back, were severe. Maybe he could even tell us if Mithos had done anything.

I quickly picked up Colette and Zelos, despite the fact that he disliked Genis, helped carry him as well.

With that said and done we headed out of the Great Seed Chamber, Zelos taking the lead since he knew a quick route out.

As we walked out into the broad daylight once more, I just had to ask, "By the way, Zelos, where did you get that Aionis anyway?"

He blinked and turned to me, trying hard not to loose his grip on the still motionless form of Genis, "Oh, I don't think you wanna know. Besides, now isn't the time to talk about it."

He just nodded his head and we walked off, down the glowing green stairs and released our Rheiards, planning on making a quick escape to Heimdall.

Which would have all gone smoothly, if Colette hadn't suddenly woke up while I was carrying her.

And having her wake up while we were in the air…well, let's just say I lost control.

"Huhn? Oh, Lloyd!" Her grip suddenly tightening around my neck, making me gag.

"Ack, Ghh, C-Colette! L-Let go—I can't breath!" I gasp out, trying hard to keep the Rheiard straight. She just blinked, then realized how high up we were and let go.

"Um, uh, is it okay if I get off now?"

"We've got no time for that!" I growl, making her flinch. She gave me a sad look but just nodded her head.

Great.

Now I wished I hadn't said that.

"Colette…I'm sorry but we really can't afford to waist anytime." I murmur while still facing forward.

Colette mutely nodded her head, turning her gaze to the rest of the group, who had drifted closer when they saw that she had woken up.

Then her eyes fell on Genis' limp form being supported almost entirely by Zelos. She gasped softly, "Wh-what happened to him…?"

"You mean you don't remember?"

"I…do…sort of…but Martel had taken over then…and I…"

"Oh yeah. We'll tell you what happened once we reach Heimdall, okay?"

"Okay. But…um…"

"Hmm?"

"Will they even let Genis and Raine in?"That was a good question. I wasn't too sure but they'd just _have_ to. Especially since Genis was wounded. They couldn't just turn them down when they needed medical help.

And since they were half-elves they'd…probably know more healing techniques than even the Professor knows.

"I hope they do…"

"Yeah, me to."

We went the rest of the way in a type of serious silence until we saw the Ymir Forest. We got off our Rheiards and, thanks to the ever-wonderful 'Quick Jump' option—of which my friends _still_ wonder what I'm talking about—we were there in no time at all.

As we entered the village, the Village Elder walked up to us, a sad yet understanding look on his face.

"Your visitor is waiting for you in Torrent Forest."

"Good." I murmured, knowing that now I'd definitely have to face him…even though he was my father, and even though I didn't want him to die.

"But we can't allow Half-elves in here!" one of the two guards growled when he saw Raine.

"But—"

"No buts!"

"Hmm?" The Elder walked forward and gasped, "But…this boy here…he's a half-elf correct?"

"Y-Yeah. He got hurt badly and we need to help him…"

"Elder we can't just…you know how bad Half-elves are!" The other guard yelled, gaining some attention from nearby people.

"What's going on?" a green haired blue eyed elven woman asked, walking over to us. She gasped when she saw Genis, "Oh my goodness! That poor boy! He needs help immediately!"

"April! He's a half-elf!"

"All this talk about half-elves…that's what brought about the rise of Cruxis!"

"What did you say?"

"Oh hush. The boy speaks the truth." The elder murmured, concern now apparent in his eyes.

"Yes…he does. Um, I'm a renowned healer in this village. Please let me aid in this boys…recovery."

Raine nodded her head, seeming to recognize the woman, "Ah—yes, of course."

"Come, my house is this way." The elven woman led the way to a small hut across the river.

Wait, she was the lady that helped out at the Inn!

"This is…the inn…" "Yes. It's…modeling as one now." April said, smiling at us before shooing us in the room.

Soon we were seated around the room, Genis laying, still unconscious, on one of the beds.

April brought out a strange looking staff that resembled Raines, but was different.

"Now before I heal him, you must tell me what…what caused this wound."

"Well…we…"

"It happened when we were…"

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Ah, it's…we don't know how it happened."

"I see…so he was not with you when it happened?"

"No. But he found us and he…looked like that…he fainted before we could ask him what happened."

"I see. Fine then, I will heal him and then hopefully, after the boy gets some rest, he will be able to tell us himself."

She then raised her staff and chanted some strange—I think they were Elven—words. A soft, greenish white glow emitted from the head of the staff, cascading over Genis, causing the wounds on his back to gradually close up.

"There, that should do it for the time being. Now, might I suggest everyone relax and take a look around the village? I…will watch over the boy and tell you when he wakes up."

Raine nodded her head and we followed her out.

But…I couldn't shake the feeling, did Raine know her? She must have to just up and leave Genis in her care without so much as a second thought.

---------------------------

Genis' POV

_It was dark and the wind…was blowing extremely hard, making the branches on nearby trees sway dangerously, as if they would snap at any second. Soon after the clouds produced lightning, giving the world below a spectacular light show. _

_  
The lightning danced across the surface of the ever darkening sky, how strange that that was all an illusion._

_How strange indeed._

_The first drop of rain was cold, like ice, which resembled the rest that fell afterwards. I ran for shelter, though the only shelter around was a nearby tree._

_I couldn't see where I was going, for as soon as it started raining my hair became matted to my forehead, water dripping from it and into my eyes._

_I didn't know where I was, the inky darkness seemed to just…envelope my surroundings. It felt like I would choke on this strange dark substance…just like it had when we had made a pact with the Summon Spirit, Shadow._

_Not that I'd tell anyone I had felt that way._

_They didn't seem to be bothered by it so why should I have been? _

_I reached my desired destination only to see…something white flash through the forest. I heard the clinking of metal and the sound of soft voice that, if you hadn't been paying attention, would have just been drowned out by the sound of rain._

_Obviously whoever it was wanted to be quiet._

_Then I saw it…or rather, she, since I was sure the person was a she._

_She was dressed in a white cape, you couldn't see her face. But, by the way she was running, I could tell she was a young girl. _

_Then the source of the metal could be seen. _

_It was a small group of knights, "Come on now, girlie, tell us where Heimdall is?" One, I'm assuming the leader, asked._

"_I'm…I'm not telling a bunch of thieves like you!" The girl cried out, her voice sounded oddly…familiar. _

_  
Now where had I heard it before?  
_

"_Oh come now, girlie, why not? Besides, we ain't thieves! We got armor from da knights of da kings nephews family! We're knights!" _

"Hah! I bet you stole that armor." The girl spat.

_Well she certainly did have a temper._

"_Now, now, girlie, you don't want to make me mad, now do you?" _

The girl seemed to glare at him, though her eyes weren't visible under the cloak she was wearing.

_The man, the fake knight, ran forward, obviously angered by the girls answer—or lack there of—and drew is sword._

_The girl gasped and my eyes widened. _

_I was sure she was going to get stabbed or at least hurt…but…she didn't._

_A man around his mid-late thirties with black, very wet, hair and purple eyes was now in front of her, his sword drawn. _

_That's odd, I feel like I know him too!_

"_M-Master!" The girl whispered, backing up slightly and bowing her head._

"_Ah, fancy meeting you here. Unfortunately you're going to have to die…" The imposter guard growled, drawing his sword again. _

"No, I don't think I will die. Now," He turned to face the girl, "Do you still have what I gave you?"

The girl nodded her head, "Y-Yes…"

"Good, then wait at the edge of town, I'll meet you after I defeat these imposters."

The girl nodded her head and ran off into the forest.

_-----------------------------------------_

I blinked and sat up, looking around me confused.

Where was I?

…Yeesh, I've really got to stop asking that question.

'_You're in Heimdall in the inn there.'_

"Oh…"

I sat up straighter when I heard footsteps against the wooden floor.

A woman that looked to be about my sisters age, though knowing that she's an elf she's probably older, walked into the room.

"Ah! You're awake! That's good. How are you feeling?"

"Um…who are you?"

"Oh? Me? My name is April. I'm the one who healed your wounds. You're in Heimdall in the inn that I help run."

"I…uh…yeah, okay. Where's my sister?"

"She's outside, I believe Lloyd is talking with her now. I'll go get her."

I nodded my head, "Yeah…okay…"

The woman turned and walked out of the room and out the front door.

"Huh…so they actually let us in Heimdall…"

_'Yes they did because you were wounded. Are you feeling any better? You look…slightly disturbed.'_

"Ah, well, it's just a dream…a weird dream…"

_'About what?'_

"Um…well, mostly about a girl being chased by these weird knights that were actually imposters that wanted to get into Heimdall. Then this guy showed up and protected her. He told her to meet him at the edge of the town after he got rid of them…"

_'…' _

"Feral?"

"GENIS!"

I jumped in surprise as my sister entered the room, followed by my friends.

She immediately ran over to me and hugged, causing the wound on my back to hurt again.

"I'm so glad you're okay!"

I flinched, "Yeah sis I'm okay…just let me go."

Why was I nervous all of a sudden?

Raine was my sister, she wouldn't hurt me!

Well, yeah she'd whack me on the head a few times but that was just to punish me for being stupid.

But…I just didn't want her to touch me.

"Oh, right, I'm sorry your back…" Raine murmured, backing away from me, though she seemed relieved now that I was awake.

"So…you're okay now?"

"Yeah…uh…I feel fine. But, um, how long was I…?"

_'About three hours'_

"About three hours."

"…"

"Is something wrong, Genis?"

I shook my head, "Ah…no…um…just kinda surprised. I didn't think I'd be out for that long."

"Just be glad it was only three hours and not three days." Zelos said from the doorway, he seemed annoyed about something.

I saw Lloyd give him a concerned look, he must be worried after everything that happened. But I'm sure he still trusts Zelos…even though no one else does.

"So, Genis…what…happened?"

"Huh?" "I mean, how did you…get hurt?"

--------------------------------------

**Me: **There's Part Thirteen, and…yeah…

**Feral: **You did it again.

**Me: **…What…?

**Feral: **you added a chapter on…

**Me: **No I didn't!

**Feral: **Yes you did. And weren't you confused on what to do about…that certain thing?

**Me: **Oh yeah! Coming up soon, I think it'll either be in the next Chapter or the Chapter after that, Genis will either have the choice of staying behind in Heimdall while Lloyd and Co. go and fight Kratos, or he can go with them. I'm having trouble deciding on which one to go with so…since you're the reviewers I'll let you decide!

**Feral: **-nods head-yes, you've been…going over which one to choose since…the fifth chapter.

**Me: **Eh-heh-heh well that's true. Okay then, now that I got that out…R&R I love hearing from people, and of course I'd like you to say which one of the two above choices you'd like to see happen so yeah, please review! –bows head and walks out of room-

**Feral: **…she's very modest today…


	14. The Beginning of a Mystery

**Me: **And here's Chapter/Part Fourteen! And it's over 100 pages long as of last chapter! And of this Chapter 1297 hits!

**Feral: **Well yes 'yay' it is. You've never gotten this far on a fan-fic before.

**Me: **Well, yeah, that's true.

**To Understand: Part Fourteen**

**The Beginning of a Mystery**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews:**

**Nady-kun-**Ah well, that's what happens when I have a 'homework free' weekend: I update two chapters! And yes, you'll eventually find out how Raine knows April, so yeah, don't worry about that. And you may, or may not, learn more about how Genis got hurt. The only way you will know is when Pronyma decides to show herself again (whenever that will be). And yeah, I was always partial to Genis staying behind while everyone went off to Torrent Forest to meet Kratos, and yes Raine is _extremely_ worried right now. Mostly I was leaning towards this option cuz there'll be kawaii scene with Mithos…um, yeah, I don't wanna give away too much. Well, here's the next Chapter! I hope ya like it!

**Liu Barrowin-**Yeah, they're allowed in Heimdall, and they are in the game (though no one named April comes up and helps them). And flipping a coin would be a good idea –resists the urge to grab nearby quarter-Hmm, so you're going to post up a Mithos X Genis fic soon? Cool! I'll make sure to review! And extra support is always good! Here's the next Chapter, I hope you like it!

**Hiranieas-**You…were thinking about Martel the entire time you were reading about the dream? Yes, that is weird…but, eh, I can't really give much away but I can say that no, it wasn't Martel. But yes, it's a girl that Genis knows…or is that _still_ giving away too much? Oh well, make of it what you will…now here's the next Chapter, I hope you like it! 

Me: I feel all warm and fuzzy, I have such nice reviewers!

**Feral: **Yes, apparently you do.

**Me: **Yup! Well, um, yeah, can do what you do normally now, right?

**Feral: **One disclaimer coming up: Harmony283 does not, and will not, claim ownership of the Tales of Symphonia characters no matter how much she wants to. But she does claim me and the plot.

**Authors Note:** Thanks Feral. Anyway, in this Chapter Genis basically tries to explain what happened to him in the Tower of Salvation/Venheim (along with Ferals help). Oh yes, and he also has a conversation with Lloyd and Zelos…and Feral about that odd dream he had.

---------------------------------

Genis' POV

"I mean…how did you get hurt?"

How was I going to answer that?

_'Well first off you can say that Pronyma hurt you…since that wouldn't be a lie.'_

"Um, P-Pronyma…she…"

"She…?"

"Yeah…I don't…remember much."

"What?"

Raine moved a comforting hand to my shoulder, and glared at Lloyd, "How can you ask something like that." She then moved back to me and smiled, "But what do you remember?" her hand squeezes my shoulder and, despite my attempts to stop myself, I flinch away from her, touch, moving so that I was leaning back against the wall instead of right up next to her.

And of course, she, along with everyone else in the room, noticed.

"Genis…?"

"Um…"

Oh great, now they were going to ask me why I didn't want to be touched…and…even I didn't know why.

_'Then just tell them you're tired or something. You don't want to get angry now do you? You do realize that's what makes you forget most times…don't you?'_

"Genis? What's wrong…what…oh…" Raines eyes widened in realization of something, I didn't know what.

"Everyone…I would like to speak with Genis…alone…"

"Um, yeah, sure. Let's go guys." Lloyd said, oblivious to whatever my sister meant, and turned to walk out the door.

Zelos sighed, muttering something under his breath, but followed after him, along with everyone else.

"Sis…?"

"Genis, what did that woman do to you?"

I blinked, "What?"

"Did she…hurt you…?"

"Well yeah, she did. I mean, I…wait, you don't mean…like, she hit me or anything do you?" My voice just a small squeak now as I figured out what she meant.

But Pronyma…she couldn't have done _that_ could she? The very thought just…eww…

_'Oh don't worry she didn't do _that _to you, why would she when you're her enemy?' _

I sighed in relief, "That's…um…" I realized Raine was staring at me.

"Well? Genis," She placed a hand over the hand that wasn't bandaged, "You know you can tell me anything. It will be completely confidential."

I flinched, shying away from her touch again, "I don't…she didn't do _that_ to me…but the very fact that _she_, a _woman_ hurt me…I don't think…"

"You don't think…oh…" she moved her hand off mine and backed up, "I see…that woman…"

She sighed and turned away, walking out of the room.

-------------------------------------

Raines POV

I…couldn't believe it.

That Pronyma woman could have--

My poor, poor brother. He must be in denial.

But the fact that she…did--no, could have done--something like _that_ to him.

He's still so young and innocent.

And to take that innocence away...that woman…she…she was going to pay for whatever she did to him!

I sighed and stopped when I saw Lloyd and Zelos waiting over by a nearby tree.

Lloyd noticed me and ran over, followed by a rather relunctant Zelos.

"Is he okay…?"

I sighed, what was I going to say?

Well, I guess the truth, or at least half of it, would be good for now.

"He…well, let's just say he was hurt very badly."

"But _how_?"

Zelos sighed, "Well the little brat—I mean Genis—probably doesn't want to talk about it either that or confidential. Right?"

I nodded my head, "Ah…yes…he said he couldn't remember everything so I…will wait."

Lloyd nodded his head in understanding, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't ask anything more—or that he'd get the alternative meaning to my words—any time soon.

But Zelos on the other hand, might just tell him.

He was a traitor…who knew if he was actually on our side or not?

…Well, Lloyd seemed to trust him, but that was because—

"Raine!"

I blinked, that was…Aprils voice.

"Hmm, yes?"

"You…your brother…why did you leave so suddenly? I was surprised. I thought for sure he'd…"

"Talk to me? Yes, I did too…but he didn't, well, I did most of the talking."

"I…see…he's turning out to be just like your father."

"Huh?" Lloyd and Zelos asked at the same time.

"That reminds me, how _do_ you two know each other anyway? I mean, you," Zelos said, nodding his head towards April, "Helped two half-elves into this village, where only pureblooded elves are supposed to live, you must at least have a reason."

"Oh…I do. And yes, we do know each other."

I nodded my head, "Yes, but now…isn't the time to be talking about things like that. Lloyd, you should be getting some rest soon after all you're—"

"Yeah…I know. I have to go up against Kratos, don't I?"

Aprils eyes widened, "Oh! I see, so you're Lloyd!"

Lloyd nodded his head, "Yeah…"

"I…it's horrible that you have to, um, fight your…father…"

Lloyd flinched, obviously he still wasn't used to Kratos being referred to in that manner, but nodded his head none the less.

"Yeah, I…know…but I have to. I just wish there was another way."

"Well, we all wish for another way when things come down to this. But sometimes…you have to make painful decisions. I'm sure Kratos…had to make the hard decision of giving up his life, of knowing that that end was the only way for you to succeed. But parents will do anything and everything to assure the safety of their children."

Yes…yes they would.

Even if it meant abandoning them.

I'm sure my parents…abandoned us for a good reason.

I just wanted to know what that reason was.

I sighed to myself and turned to walk away, "Hey, Professor, where are you going?"

"For a walk…"

"I'll join you! Even if you were allowed in this village by the Elder, it's still not safe for a half-elf to walk around alone." April said, a soft, kind smile on her face…just like when we were younger.

I smiled, "Yes, you're right, okay then. I will see you two," I said, looking over at Lloyd and Zelos, "Later."

And I walked off, April following me like she had all those years ago.

------------------------------------

Genis' POV

For some reason I felt really horrible.

Maybe it was because of the way I treated Raine?

Yeah, that _had_ to be it. I mean, she's my sister and yet I…couldn't tell her anything. I couldn't even tell her as much of when I was 'kidnapped' that I remembered.

'_It's not like you can freely give away stuff like that, you know. Can you imagine just what would happen if you did tell her those certain things?'_

I flinched, yeah, Feral was right.

What would happen?

Well, I know for one that Raine would freak out. She'd probably start accusing Mithos of stuff he didn't do…though it wasn't like she wasn't doing that to begin with…

'_I have to agree with you on that. She's worried that he might have been the one that ordered Pronyma to kidnap you, and just pretended that he didn't, which we both know isn't true. He _did_ care about what happened to you and he _didn't _order Pronyma to kidnap/hurt you.'_

"Yeah…heh, she'd be so surprised if she found out that he was actually the one who _saved_ me. Actually, I think everyone—minus Kratos since he apparently already knows—would be."

_'Yes. And there are also things besides Mithos, that Raine doesn't know.'_

"Yeah, she doesn't know about you…and I didn't tell her about that dream I had—not that it had any significant importance or anything…right?"

'_Yes, that's right.' _

Why did I have a sneaking suspicion Feral was hiding something from me?

"Feral…are you…hiding something from me?"

_'Wh-what are you talking about?' _she seemed slightly startled, but defensive at the same time.

"Well I mean, it seems like you know more about my dream than you're letting on."

_'Hmm, in a way, yes I do. But why do you want to know?'_

"Besides the fact I'm curious, why did it feel like I knew that man? Who was he?"

'_Well you certainly want to know—" _

"Feral, just get to the point. Do you know who he is or not?"

_'I…well…hmm, I guess you could say I kind of do. Though I could be mistaken.' _

"Could be mistaken--?"

I would have said more, and I'm sure Feral would have to.

But of course, right when she was going to say something important…

Lloyd and Zelos walked in.

And they both seemed somewhat worried.

"Oh…hey you guys, what's up?"

"We came by to see if you were okay." Lloyd said, smiling at me, though it was a sad smile, and sitting down on the nearby chair while Zelos stood up against the wall across the room.

"Well, I guess I am now. Though my back still hurts a lot."

Lloyd nodded his head, seeming to be thinking about something.

"I'm surprised you were able to walk at all from the way you looked when you showed up in the Great Seed Chamber." Zelos said, curious suspicion noticeable in his voice.

"Huh? Oh, yeah…I actually have no clue how I managed that."

"Yeah and, um, well, Pronyma said she was taking you to Venheim when she first showed up and captured you so…"

"So?"

"How did you get back into the Tower of Salvation?"

I gulped, "Uh…I-I don't know…"

"Is there like a portal or a…doorway or something?"

Zelos rolled his eyes, "No, no, Lloydie my bud, there's a great mystical dragon that flies down from the sky and brings you up to Derris Kharlan."

I blinked, there was no way in the two worlds Lloyd could believe that.

"Woah! Really? That's so cool! What does it look like?"

And yet, being the…somewhat dense and gullible person he was…

He fell for it.

"You actually believed that?" both me and Zelos said at the same time before bursting out into short giggles while Lloyds face turned a bright shade of red.

"Wha—hey! That's not funny…tricking me like that…"

"Aww, but it's just so fun!" Zelos whined, walking over to stand behind Lloyd before giving him well deserved bonk on the head.

"Yeesh, I'm surprised your head's not hallow!" He said, a now extremely playful—not to mention suggestive—smirk on his face.

Oh yeah, that's right, they were 'together' now.

I can't believe I forgot that.

'_Well that is the kind of thing that's hard to forget. But you know, they don't know that _you _know that yet.' _

Well, that was true.

Zelos wrapped his arms around Lloyds neck, nuzzling his face into his hair, to which Lloyd grinned.

"Heh…you guys…"

Zelos immediately backed away, an almost apparent blush tinging at his cheeks. Lloyd blushed twice as red as usual and gulped noisily, "Uh…"

"Is there…something going on that I don't know about?"

Oh gods, I never knew anyones face could get as red as Zelos' hair but…

"Uh…w-well…gods, Raine's gonna kill us if we tell you…"

"Is Raine here?"

"N-no…"

"Then what is it?"

Zelos shook his head, "Well if you really want to know—"

"Hey! We heard you were up, Genis!"

It was Sheena, followed by Colette and Presea.

They stopped in the doorway and stared at us.

Lloyd and Zelos' once red faces paled and they backed even further away from each other.

"Oh…are we interrupting something?" Sheena asked, her tone icy.

"Yes, are we? If we are then we shall leave and come back again…later."

"Um…well…uh…" Lloyd stuttered, also noticing the fact that Colette was about to burst into tears again…

"It's okay, you weren't." I said, smiling at them, "Zelos and Lloyd were just saying that they were going to leave so yeah, come on in."

"Yeah the brat's—I'm mean Genis's—right! See ya later." Zelos hurried out of the room, followed by Lloyd.

"You…did that on purpose didn't you?" Sheena asked, though in a more laid back tone than she had a few seconds ago.

"Hmm, maybe. But then again, I don't know what's going on so, yeah."

The three girls stared at me, then looked at each other, surprised.

"So they didn't, um, tell you…?"

"Nope! I'm just as clueless as ever!" I said, a grin forming on my lips despite my attempts to keep my face straight.

"Ah…I see…well…we just came by to see how you were doing…and since it seems you're doing okay we'll just…uh…"

"Go and find the professor!" Colette piped up, her voice ten times higher than it normally was.

I a pang of guilt for her. She loved Lloyd. But he didn't love her.

'_That's the way love goes sometimes. Don't worry too much about it…after all, you have too much to worry about in regards to Mithos and your promise of 'finding another way' to worry about much else.' _

"I—uh, yeah, okay. See you guys later then."

The three girls nodded their heads and hurried out the door, murmuring between themselves about something or other.

"Now…I have to find out how I'm going to 'find another way'." I muttered, leaning back against the wall, flinching ever so lightly as my wounded back made contact with the hard cold wood.

'_Well this is an elven village is it not? I'm sure you'll find some old records of things that normally wouldn't be found in the normal world.' _

"Well yeah, that's true…but first…" I yawned, feeling my eyes droop.

I didn't realize I was this tired.

'_First off, you need to get some sleep.' _

I nodded my head, "Yeah…you're…right…"

_'Of course I am, now sweet dreams.' _

"You know, I still want to know who that man and girl were from my dreams…"

'…'

That was all Feral said before I found myself closing my eyes and dropping my head back onto the provided pillow on the bed.

It still disturbed me that Feral knew something I didn't.

But I guess I'd just have to ask after I got some sleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------

**Me: **And Part Fourteen is done!

**Feral: **Yes it is…but you seem tired…

**Me: **A stomach ace and a headache can and will do that to a person—sighs—anyway, R&R please! I love hearing from people! And the next Chapter should be the one where Genis either stays or goes with Lloyd and Co. (currently he's staying behind).


	15. Ones Doubts

**Me: **Whoo! Chapter/Part Fifteen is here! Yay!

**Feral: **…you're hyper today…

**Me: **And you're not.

**To Understand: Part Fifteen**

**Ones Doubts **

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: 4**

**Hiranieas-**Hmm, maybe it's Feral, or maybe it isn't…hmm…-cough-you really want to kill Pronyma don't you? Don't worry she will die…but as for when, I can't tell! Well, here's the next chapter I hope you like it!

**Viaroura Fox-**Thanks for reviewing and yes, Genis is going to do some major research now…as for what he will find…I can't really say. Well, here's then next Chapter, I hope you like it!

**Nady-Kun-**Um, wow, I didn't think April'd be so popular…I just added her in at the last minute so Raine could have a bigger role in this but, yeah, they're like childhood friends, they could be more…but that just depends. And yes, I like learning about the past of my favorite characters too! I'm not sure if you noticed, but in one of the earlier chapters (I think it was chapter five) Kloitz, Genis and Raines father, was mentioned. That could give some clues to what happens later on…maybe…hmm. Well, here's the next Chapter! I hope you like it!**  
**

**Mizuki hikari-**well, here's the next Chapter, enjoy!

**Me: **I'm soooo happy! I'm finally on Part Fifteen!

**Feral: **You've been waiting for this haven't you?

**Me: **Well, yeah, I have. This is the chapter before the one where Mithos shows up again!

**Feral: **Ah, and to think way back in Chapter/Part 2 he was worried about never seeing Genis again before they fought.

**Authors Note: **Ah yeah, that's true isn't it? Well he definitely doesn't have to worry about that…but on the other hand now he has to worry about his little damsel—I'm mean Genis—getting 'kidnapped' again. –cough—anyway…yeah, in this Chapter Lloyd basically mulls over his thoughts of either to kill or not kill Kratos. Zelos shows up and tries to comfort him. Meanwhile Genis escapes from the inn, only to run into some trouble…Enjoy!

-----------------------------------------

Lloyds POV

I groaned softly, looking up at the clear sky. It was about mid-afternoon.

And already I was worrying.

I…didn't want to fight Kratos.

But I had to.

I didn't want him to die…

But…

No…

That can't be the only way to release Origin!

Because if Kratos dies…

My only blood relative left will be dead.

My…father…would be dead.

I would have killed my father.

I shuddered at the thought. So many choices have been made. So many people have died. And now, if just one more person died…then the world could be…restored.

I didn't like that idea.

Didn't I say that I didn't want to sacrifice anyone anymore?

Yeah, I did.

I also said I wasn't going to make anymore mistake and I know killing Kratos could very well be a mistake.

I mean, he…he…

"Oh Lloyd!"

I jumped and whirled around.

It was Zelos.

Wait…did he follow me all the way out…here?

I look around at my surroundings only to find that I didn't know where I was either.

"Oh…Zelos…it's you."

Zelos grinned, "Hey! Don't sound so down in the dumps! I'm sure everything'll be alright!"

"How can you keep up with that optimistic attitude…?"

I hadn't expected him to hear me, but he did, "Because, bud, sometimes things just don't work out the way you want them to. They even…turn out _worse_ than you originally had thought. But if you let all the negatives get in the way then what can you do?"

"I…well, you're right. I can't do much of anything now besides think of the consequences of each action that I could take. I mean, I wanna save the world, but I also don't want to sacrifice more people."

Zelos nodded his head, his sudden cheerfulness gone, replaced with an aura of seriousness.

"And I…Kratos…is my father and…"

"Because of that you don't want to kill him. That's natural. I mean, Seles is my only immediate family member left so yeah, I'd be devastated if anything happened to her, despite the fact that she probably could care less about what happened to me."

I shook my head. I couldn't believe he still thought that.

"You know, she really doesn't hate you. She just doesn't want to admit that she worries about you."

Zelos laughed bitterly, "Yeah, right, whatever you say Lloyd."

"But…" I moved towards him, "She really does! She said so right after you left the room! Colette and Genis heard her too! She…she even called you her big brother! Doesn't that…can't you see that she doesn't…"

"Look, I appreciate the fact that you're trying to help an' all, Lloyd, but…this isn't about me now. It's about you and what you choose to do."

He smiled then, a soft and loving smile…like he had that night in Flanoir.

"Um…uh…hehe…you're…right…" I muttered, feeling my face heat up. I looked down at the ground, embarrassed. Now wasn't the time to be…talking.

"Aww, you're blushing!" Zelos said in a singsong voice, and I looked up at him. On pure instinct I shouted, "No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I—mfft!"

How many times was he going to do that?

Cut me off by kissing, I mean.

Dammit, he knew me too well.

And I hadn't even known he liked me like that until…recently.

Zelos pulled away, "Yes you are…now would you like me to keep you company? Raine is still off somewhere with that April chick, and Sheena and them won't talk to me for…obvious reasons."

I nodded my head. They still must be upset about...us…though the reasons why they turned on us so fast are beyond me.

I mean, yeah, Colette likes me/has a crush on me—or should I say has had a crush on me—but is she really taking this so hard that she needs the support of the only girls in our group?

That just…didn't seem like her.

"Y-yeah…I guess I could use the company. Everyone's been avoiding me, thinking that I needed time to myself. And of course, Colette, Sheena, and Presea aren't talking to me. The only person who's actually talked to me besides you and the Professor would be Genis, but he's resting because of his…wounds…"

Zelos nodded his head before pulling me into a tight embrace, "But hey, that's enough isn't it?"

And, at least for now, it was.

------------------------

Genis' POV

I sighed, looking up at the ceiling, thinking of what I had promised—well, not _promised _but it was close to it—to Mithos.

I promised that I'd find another way.

But what could I do when I was hurt this badly? Well, it didn't hurt so much anymore but…I'm sure if Raine spotted me, she'd go ballistic and force me back to bed.

Which would not only be embarrassing, it'd probably cause the Elves, whom I'm sure some aren't so happy we're here, to hate us more.

I sighed again, "What am I gonna do?"

_'Well, why don't you try sneaking out? Who knows, Raine may be too preoccupied with things to notice you. I mean, you're small, you can hide if you think she's seen you.'_

"Are you making fun of me?"

_'Why no of course not.'_

"Then stop sounding so sarcastic…and I'm not that short."

_'Yes you are. Now come on, no one's at the front desk, they wouldn't notice if you snuck out.' _

I groaned, "Yeah but the people outside'll see the door open. What if I run into Lloyd or…or Colette? Both of them could tell me to go back to bed too! Besides, they wouldn't understand the reason I'm up anyway."

'_Which is why you're going to ignore them.' _

"Jeez, I can't believe I'm agreeing to this…" I muttered, pushing myself up off the bed.

I winced in pain as the muscles in my back tightened. But it wasn't an unbearable pain.

Which was better than it had been.

"Wow, they must really be good healers…"

_'Yes, they are full blooded elves you know.' _

"Yeah, you're right. But I wonder, did that April lady heal me?"

_'Apparently yes, since she's the only elf your sister seems to trust.' _

"I…guess so…"

_'Now then let's go before someone _does _come back.'_

I nodded my head and made my way out of the room and into the lobby area. Feral was right, no one was at the receptionist desk.

So now all I had to do was get outside and go hide somewhere…but where?

And how would that help my research?

'_Just worry about getting out first. Then we can worry about the research.' _

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I muttered, making my way towards the wooden door. I opened it a silently as I could, not wanting to draw attention from anyone who might be close by, and snuck out.

The first thing I noticed about the Elven town was…

It was small.

About the size of Iselia.

Or, at least, this side was.

But I could see the entrance/exit. That's probably where I should head first.

Or maybe I could look around town—wait, was that Raine?

_'Yes it seems like that is Raine.' _

So it was her. She was over near some benches talking with that April woman again.

"Well if she's over there then I guess I should head this way."

I walked down the wooden steps and headed over to the eastern side of the village.

That's when I heard someone, a young girl from the sound of it, screaming.

"Let me go! Let me go! No! Don't throw me in the—"

The sound of someone being thrown in the water could be heard.

I made my way around a rather large bush that blocked my path to find that two boys, one had green hair and one yellow, had just dumped a girl with pale yellow hair in the water.

That wasn't good.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!"

I ran over to the side of the stream and murmured a few words before crying out, "SPREAD!"

A huge pillar of water shot out from underneath her, causing her to rise up out of the water.

Then she was falling

'_You'd better catch her'_

"I know, I know." I muttered under my breath and positioned myself underneath the falling girl.

And I caught her.

"Ggg…" I groaned, falling to the ground.

Great, I think the wound on my back just opened up again.

And I actually thought it was healed.

'_Oh great. That's definitely not good. Oh, and did I mention your sister is coming?'_

Not that that mattered.

The two boys were staring at me in shock, "Hey! Why'd you do that?"

They obviously couldn't tell I was hurt.

Not that they needed to know that.

"Why did you throw her in the river? The water isn't very deep, you could have seriously hurt her."

"So? Does it matter? She's a freak!"

_'Well aren't they pleasant? How sad since that boy, the one with the blond hair, is this little girls older brother.'_

I didn't want to know how Feral knew that, but I guess I could use against him.

"GENIS!"

Or maybe not.

At the sound of Raines voice many Elves turned to look our way.

"Robert Carle! What do you think you two are doing?"

"Mom!" The blond boy cried out, shocked.

"Miss Fay!" green haired boy said, his voice wavering in fear.

A an elven woman with beautiful blond hair and dark red, almost brown, eyes could be seen running towards us from a nearby house. She seemed extremely angry and worried.

When she reached us she grabbed ahold of the blond boy—Carle's arm—and tugged him away, "I'm so sorry—Aura!" she gasped when she saw the girl in my arms.

"What did you do to my daughter?"

"I…didn't do anything."

"Oh yes you did! Mom he threw her in the river cuz she got in his way!"

"I did not!" Now, despite the fact that I felt sick, I was angry.

"Why do you think I'd believe you? A half elf?"

"Because I'm telling the truth."

"Genis! Please, let's not start something here." Raine said softly from behind me. I don't think I have ever heard her sound so…

Afraid.

'_Well she has ever reason to be. You do realize that she grew up in this village. She knows the cruelty of the Elves, whereas you were only born here.' _

Wait…how did she know I was born here?

Even I didn't know that.

"No. Why should I? I know you mean well, sis, but I'm sick and tired of people looking down on us just cuz we're different." I growled, feeling the anger boil up inside of me once more.

"But Genis--!"

"Give me my daughter back you…you…" the woman said, her voice at a near whisper but her eyes showed deep hate.

Then I realized it.

She must have been hurt by my kind before.

"Yeah, sure you can have her back."

She seemed shocked at my sudden willingness.

"But you're going to have to come over here and pick her up."

"And why can't you?" Carle shouted, balling his small hands into fists.

"Gee I'd love to but right now I don't think it'd be best for me to move."

"And why is that?" the woman asked bitterly.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm hurt. That's the reason we were let into this town to begin with."

The woman seemed surprised, but walked forward almost hesitantly. I moved so that she could take her daughter, who seemed to be waking up, away from me.

"Huh…? Momma? Is big brother gone?" the girls voice sounded so pure and innocent, it made me wonder how her brother could throw her into the river.

"Why no honey, he's right here."

The girls eyes widened, "Wha--? No! Get him away from me!"

"Ah! Honey! What's wrong?" The woman seemed highly alarmed.

The girl had somehow managed to get out of her grip and was now, ironically enough, standing by me.

Not that I could do much of anything in terms of protection.

Who knew that one medium level attack spell could drain so much of my energy?

"He threw me in the river." Aura whimpered, grabbing onto my shirt sleeve with one of her hands.

"What…? Carle…?"

"I—I didn't do anything to her mom!"

"But it's true…that's why I came over here…because I heard her scream." I said, disregarding the fact that my voice was now cracking.

'_Yes…poor girl…she's soaking wet.' _

"Is this true, Carle, Robert?"

Everyone gasped and turned.

It was the village elder.

"Oh! Elder, I'm…sorry for disturbing you!" Fay said, bowing her head immediately in the presence of the older elf.

He just merely shook his head, "I heard the conversation, and I also know for a fact that this boy here is indeed wounded. He actually shouldn't even be out of bed."

I blinked, surprised.

So they had actually gotten the elders permission to bring me here?

_'Yes they did. Zelos carried you here and most elves were against it. But thankfully the Elder was here and allowed you, as well as Raine, entrance with the help of April.' _

"I…see…"

"Now I will ask again, is what this boy—Genis, I believe—said true?"

"Y-Yes…sir…"

Apparently no one went against the elder.

"Oh really now? Then don't you think you should, say apologize?"

"But elder!" The two boys, along with Fay and most of the other villagers surrounding us, seemed shocked.

"But what?"

"He's a half-elf!"

Elder nodded his head, "Yes, I know that. But for now he is a visitor. And you have blamed him for something he did not do. That, as you know, is not tolerated."

"But…you expect us to put aside our differences?" Fay seemed horrified at this.

"Even if just for this short while, yes, I wish that you put aside whatever ill memories you have. Besides, this boy did not cause those ill memories, and it is injust that you treat him as if he were the cause."

"But he's of the same race…" I sighed, "Look, I don't care that much if you disapprove of me being here. You're just going to have to deal with it until we leave. Besides I'm not entirely disagreeing with you on the fact that Half-elves are bad. I…know of some who…are. The one who…caused me this wound…was a half-elf."

The woman blinked, like a stunned deer, but didn't say a word.

"So Pronyma really _did_ hurt you…" Raine whispered from behind me, fear and worry apparent in her voice.

I nodded my head, suddenly feeling very faint, "Y-yeah she…did…"

_'Genis! Oh dear, you've lost too much blood!' _

"I…think I'm…getting dizzy…"

then the world around me went pitch black, as I fell into a dead faint.

The ground beneath me felt so hard and cold.

I wish Mithos was here to catch me.

-------------------------------

**Me: **…well that didn't go as planned.

**Feral: **No it didn't. Oh well, you have a tendency of adding on Chapters so it shouldn't be too big of a deal.

**Me: **No it shouldn't, but meh, R&R I love reviews—no matter how short or how long they are!

**Feral: **Well, yes, that's true.


	16. Reasons

**Me: **And here's Chapter/Part Sixteen! With 1525 hits!

**Feral: **Yes, finally. It seems that you like drawing things out don't you?

**Me: **Well, no one ever said it was a bad thing!

**To Understand: Part Sixteen**

**Reasons **

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: 3**

**Hiranieas-**Yes I know, that last line...made me think of back in Flanoir when Genis fainted and Mithos caught him...yeah. And yes Half-elves do rule! Though it makes me wonder...there are half-elves in Sylvarant. But where do the elves there live? Or did ever half-elf in Sylvarant originally come from Tethe'alla? And if they did, then who raised them? Ah, well, so many questions that will probably never be answered. Oh well, here's the next chapter! I hope ya like it!

**Viaroura Fox-**Yes he did faint rather...uh, yeah. Well, here's the next chapter! I hope you like it!

**Mizuki hikari-**I'm glad you liked the last chapter, so here's the next one! I hope you like it!

Me: Finally! Yeesh, I didn't think it'd take this long to get to this chapter!

**Feral: **You're the one to blame since you're the Authoress.

**Me: **Oh blah, yeah, I know. Now would you be so kind as to do the disclaimer?

**Feral: **Yeah, sure. Harmony283 does not, and will never claim ownership to the characters in Tales of Symphonia. Namco does. The only thing she claims ownership of are the following: the plot, me, April, Aura, Carle, Robert and Fay.

**Authors Note: **Thank you Feral. Now then, in this chapter it shows how Raine sees what happened in the last Chapter (with the whole Fay, Carle, Robert and Aura thing) and also Genis has a really weird dream again, which is like the continuation of the dream he had when he first arrived in Heimdall. But honestly, will he ever get a chance to do some research before he meets up with Mithos again?

--------------------

**Raines POV  
**

I couldn't believe it when I saw that Genis had somehow gotten out of bed. Though he was kneeling on the ground, obviously in pain, I had thought he was at least a little better.

Though…it surprised me even more when I saw the limp for of a girl in his arms, and two elven boys, one with blond hair—who I believe was named Carle—and a blue haired elf—named Robert, accusing him of throwing the girl into the river.

But I knew Genis would never do something like that!

I…wanted to voice my opinions but…

…That woman…Fay…

Was she really the same girl that…?

April placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, which made me realize that, even if this woman was really the same person, she wouldn't harm me.

Not that she could anymore.

We were both adults now.

Meaning we had to give up past rivalries and hateful feelings.

Besides, she had a child now.

Or two, since that small girl in Genis' arms looked so much like her.

"What did you do to my daughter?" Fay asked, a hint of malice in her voice.

And still I couldn't speak. I couldn't stand up for my little brother.

"I…didn't do anything." His breathing sounded labored.

Which meant he was tired.

And of course he'd be. He still wasn't fully recovered yet!

"Oh yes you did! Mom he threw her in the river cuz she got in his way!" Carle shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Genis, his eyes also ablaze with anger.

"I did not!" Now Genis was angry.

I had to stop this before it got out of hand. Genis was in no condition to fight, and these elves didn't seem to notice.

"Why do you think I'd believe you? A Half-elf?" Fay said, her voice oddly calm, but just as venomous.

"Because I'm telling the truth."

I don't think I've ever heard Genis use that tone before. He sounded almost like…my father, all those years ago, when he was serious.

He really was turning out to be just like him.

But I still had to stop this.

"Genis! Please, let's not start something!" my voice didn't sound as strong as I would have liked it to. But it was enough to get Genis to notice me.

Genis glanced back at me, his eyes showing slight confusion…then surprise.

Why would he be surprised?

Then he spoke, "No. Why should I? I know you mean well, sis, but I'm sick and tired of people looking down on us just cuz we're different." His voice held restrained anger. And I couldn't blame him. I too was getting tired of people treating us differently. But some people…just wouldn't.

"But Genis--!"

"Give my daughter back…you…you…" Fay cut me off. Just like she used to when we were kids.

But what was she going to say?

Or more importantly, what was Genis going to say?

"Yeah, sure, you can have her back."

My eyes widen. He'd give her back just like that? Wasn't he angry?

But he seems…almost forgiving. Like he noticed something that I didn't.

Even Fay is shocked by this.

"But you're going to have to come over here and pick her up." Genis suddenly says, though it seems now that he's tired.

Yes, he definitely isn't fully recovered yet. And if he stays out any longer…

"And why can't you?" Carle suddenly speaks out, making me jump. For such a young boy he certainly is…loud.

"Gee I'd love to but right now I don't think it'd be best for me to move." I can hear a hint of sarcasm in Genis' voice as he says this.

"And why is that?"

Fay noticed it too.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm hurt. That's the reason we were let into this town to begin with."

Still with the same bitter sarcasm. But it was the truth.

Fay seems to notice that and moves forward, though hesitantly, like she was walking up to a wild animal. It made me sick.

And yet, I couldn't seem to form words in my mouth. I just watched, as did April and many other villagers that had heard the commotion.

Genis moved so that it would be easier to reach the girl, Aura, who seemed to be waking up.

"Huh…? Momma? Is big brother gone?" Her voice was like a bell. She seemed so innocent…that innocence one has at birth…was still with her.

But why did she ask if her big brother was gone? I knew she was talking about Carle, but…

What did he do?

"Why no, honey, he's right here." Fays voice had changed from the cold venomous voice to a kind and caring voice. That's good. I'd feel sorry for her children if she treated them the way she had just acted a few moments ago.

"Wha—? No! Get him away from me!" the girl cried out, struggling in her mothers grip.

She seemed so scared…

"Ah! Honey! What's wrong?" Fay seemed shocked, and worried, at her daughters sudden reaction.

Aura managed to get away from Fay and, to my surprise, over to Genis. She clung to his sleeve looking absolutely terrified.

But Genis…couldn't do much of anything since he was so wounded.

"He threw me in the river." Aura whimpered, clutching Genis' sleeve even tighter.

"What…? Carle…?"

"I—I didn't do anything to her mom!" Carle stammered, backing away slowly, along with Robert.

"But it's true…that's why I came over here…because I heard her scream." Genis said, his voice cracking from apparent exhaustion.

"Is this true, Carle, Robert?"

Everyone gasped and turned.

It was the village elder.

"Oh! Elder, I'm…sorry for disturbing you!" Fay said, bowing her head immediately in the presence of the older elf.

He just merely shook his head, "I heard the conversation, and I also know for a fact that this boy here is indeed wounded. He actually shouldn't even be out of bed."

Well, yes, that was true. But Genis seemed shocked at this.

Then I remembered, we hadn't told him that he had allowed us permission into the village.

"Now I will ask again, is what this boy—Genis, I believe—said true?"

"Y-Yes…sir…"

"Oh really now? Then don't you think you should, say apologize?"

"But elder!" The two boys, along with Fay and most of the other villagers surrounding us, seemed shocked.

"But what?"

"He's a half-elf!"

Elder nodded his head, "Yes, I know that. But for now he is a visitor. And you have blamed him for something he did not do. That, as you know, is not tolerated."

"But…you expect us to put aside our differences?" Fay seemed horrified at this.

"Even if just for this short while, yes, I wish that you put aside whatever ill memories you have. Besides, this boy did not cause those ill memories, and it is injust that you treat him as if he were the cause."

"But he's of the same race…"Genis sighed, "Look, I don't care that much if you disapprove of me being here. You're just going to have to deal with it until we leave. Besides I'm not entirely disagreeing with you on the fact that Half-elves are bad. I…know of some who…are. The one who…caused me this wound…was a half-elf."

The woman blinked, like a stunned deer, but didn't say a word.

"So Pronyma really _did_ hurt you…" I whispered, not that I hadn't expected that. After all Pronyma was the one who attacked/captured him in the first place.

What I found odd, though, was the fact that April…gasped. I turned to look at her, she seemed so…startled. It unnerved me.

"Y-yeah she…did…" Genis said, his voice sounding faint.

"I…think I'm…getting dizzy…"

"Genis!" I cried out as he collapsed onto the ground. For the first time I noticed that there was…new blood on the back of Lloyds tunic—which he had borrowed as a makeshift nightshirt to go over his shorts.

"But…I thought I…healed that wound…" April murmured, walking forward with her staff.

"Well then, it is obviously not a regular wound. Come, you should take him back to the inn." I mutely walked forward and lifted the fainted form of my brother. That's when it happened, when Fay finally noticed me.

"Wait! You're…Raine!"

I flinched. Great, I didn't want to start something here.

"So what? Does it really matter, Fay? Raines younger brother is hurt badly, so just leave her be." April said, her voice cold as ice.

But something in it reminded me of…

No, I must be paranoid. Just because she seemed surprised—almost horrified—at the mention of Pronyma didn't mean…

No…

--------------------------------

Genis' POV

"Ugh…" I groaned softly sitting up in bed.

Wait. Bed? When'd I get to a bed?

_'You collapsed, remember?' _

I blinked, oh yeah, that's right…I did.

So I must be back at the inn.

'_Yes, you are.' _

I turned to face the doorway, sighing. It was already dark out, and I could see the sleeping forms of my friends on the other beds in the room.

No, wait, Lloyds' bed was empty.

And so was Zelos'.

But why?

Or did I even want to know why?

'_No, you probably don't. Now get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a big day for you.' _

I sighed once more, turning so that I faced the ceiling, only to flinch as pain shot through my back.

My wound must have opened up again.

'_Yes, it did. Now go to bed…oh, look, here they come.' _

I heard footsteps and saw Zelos and Lloyd walk hand in hand into the room.

I watched as they kissed each other quickly before parting to go to their separate beds.

'_You really should stop spying on them.' _

"Whatever Feral." I muttered, turning over again, this time so that I was facing the nearby window, and falling asleep.

_I was back in the same forest again, though this time it wasn't raining. Though it smelled like it just had._

_I could see the faint form of a girl, the same girl from my dream the night before, standing underneath one of the many trees._

_The rustling of nearby trees made me turn. There, walking towards the girl was the same black haired, purple-eyed swordsman from my dream the night before._

_He had a bloodied sword in his hand, and dipped it casually into the water, cleaning it quickly before sheathing it._

_He notice the girl and smiled, "don't worry, they won't come after you again."_

_The girl nodded her head, "Okay." _

"Now then, I called you here because…"

"You…wanted to meet me here. I still have what you gave me."

_The man looked tired, and extremely pale. _

_Was he sick? _

"Ah…good…I was actually wondering, could you keep it?"

"What! But it's…"

"Yes, I know what it is. But I'd like for you to keep it."

The girl nodded her head, "Yes sir…but I'm surprised you were able to defeat those men without it. Aren't Exspheres supposed to enhance your abilities?"

The man nodded his head, "Yes, they are supposed to. But I gave it to you because you need it."

"But I don't need it!"

"Yes you do." The mans' voice was cold and harsh, "You need it to control your other half."

"But you've always controlled her before—why now…?"

"Because I don't know what will happen to me. My son is about to be born and I…"

"You're going to have a son?"

The man nodded his head and smiled, "Yes, I am."

"But then…don't, I mean, wouldn't you want to give this to him since…"

"I know it's in our blood line and that it will eventually pass down to him—if he lives. But I just…don't want to risk it."

"_I…see. So you don't want me to…tell my other self?" _

"That's correct. I know it's near impossible, but I've done research…if you, since you aren't a normal human being, were to keep that Exsphere, then your other half would eventually…seep out of you."

"But isn't that dangerous?"

"No it isn't. I have…you remember what happens when, and if, I die?"

"Yes. She could, go out of control and take over."

"Yes. You wouldn't be able to handle her. That's why…I'm so sorry, but I have to do this for your own protection."

_The girls eyes widened, "What?" _

The man pulled out a strange mirror, or rather, a fragment of a mirror.

"_This is what's left in Niflheims collection. It is Niflheims mirror, or rather, a small piece of it. I could not find the original. I'm assuming it's put under heavy guard. But this should be enough to help."  
_

_The man chanted a few words under his breath, and soon the fragment of mirror was glowing._

"_What…Eek!" The girl…I couldn't tell exactly what happened, I couldn't see, but when the flash of light ebbed away…then, she wasn't…there._

"_I'm sorry, Feral. I'm so sorry." _

I blinked.

_Wait, did he just say Feral? _

So that girl was Feral?

I watched as the man threw the fragment of mirror into the water surrounding the wooden walkway. A soft 'sploosh' could be heard before the man walked away.

"Genis! Genis wake up!"

My eyes snapped open, "Wha…?"

"Oh good! I was so worried…"

It was April.

"Huh? What's up…um…"

"Oh, you can call me April. Your sister's outside with the rest of your friends. They're about to leave to go…fight Kratos."

"I…wait, what?"

"Oh good, you're up." Raine said from the doorway, making both April and me jump.

"Sis! So you're really going to go fight Kratos?"

She nodded her head, "Yes, we are. Lloyd finally made up his mind about what he wanted to do. And apparently he wants to fight Kratos." Then, in a quieter voice, "Though he still seems a little scared about it."

I nodded my head, "Ah, yeah. I hope…all goes well. I mean, I know the last thing Lloyd wants to do is kill Kratos—his real father."

"Yes. This should be our final fight." Raine looked from me to April, who gave an encouraging nod, then back to me, "That's why…I want you to stay here."

"What?"

"You're still hurt. And because of yesterday you need to rest more."

_'You know she's right.' _Feral whispered, she almost seemed…scared.

But why?

"Ah…I guess…you're right. Okay…but…"

"Yes?" "Please be careful! You're my family too and I'd…I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Raine, as well as April, seemed shocked at this.

"I…yes…I'll be…careful." Raine murmured, tears seeming to form at the edges of her eyes.

But why?

"Shouldn't you be going now, Raine? I'm sure they're waiting for you." April said, smiling at my older sister sadly.

"Ah, yes, you're right. I'll see you when we get back, so just try to rest until then. We shouldn't be too long."

I nodded my head and watched as she walked out the door.

"You…care about your sister very much don't you?" April asked, and I nodded my head once more.

"Yeah. She is, after all, my only family member left…that I know of anyway."

April nodded her head, "Yes. I…know for a fact that your father is…no longer alive, he was very ill when you were born, and your mother…I don't know…I do think she's still alive though."

I nodded my head, a small smile spreading on my lips, "Yeah. Maybe we can go visit her…"

"Yes. When the worlds are at peace, that would be a wonderful thing, wouldn't it?"

Then I remembered, "How do you know my sister anyway?"

"Oh! I thought she already told you! We were, and still are, childhood friends. Your sister is so brave, taking care of you on her own!"

I smiled, "I guess so."

April and I stayed silent, looking out the window, watching as Lloyd and the others walked by.

They were heading off towards Torrent Forest to fight Kratos.

To release Origins seal.

And finally, to fight, and hopefully defeat, Origin.

I hope they'd do it.

And I hoped they'd be okay.

But more than that, I hoped that I'd at least get some research done.

"Hey April?"

"Hmm? Yes?" "Are there any extremely old documents left in this town?"

"Oh—well, I suppose the Elder has some. But why…?" "Well, I'd be kinda bored if all I had to do was sit around here all day and do nothing. Besides, I'm interested in reading about the history of this town. It may be beneficial to…our journey."

April seemed to think about it for a few seconds before answering.

"Well, okay, I'll see if he will…lend some to me. Though I highly doubt you'd be able to read it. It's in very old Elven text. Most elves now a days can't even read it."

I smiled, "That's fine! Raine has taught me…some of the basics. So yeah, I'm sure I'd be able to read most of it."

April seemed slightly surprised but smiled, none the less.

"That doesn't surprise me. Raine could read it easily when she…stayed here those few times when she was a young girl. So I'm sure you'll have no problem with it either."

I nodded my head and watched as she walked out of the room.

'_Well now, that certainly was clever, Genis. I didn't think you had it in you.' _

"Well how on earth was I going to get any researching done anyway? Because of what happened yesterday…well, they're definitely going to make sure I don't leave the building."

_'Well, yes, that's true. But first let's hope the Village Elder is willing to part with such materials.' _

"Yeah…oh, and Feral?"

_'Yes?'_

"I think I found out a little bit more about my dream."

'_Oh really now?'_

"Yeah. That little girl in it…she…"

'_She…?'_

"She was you."

-------------------------

**Me: **And that's the end of Chapter/Part Sixteen! Honestly though, I added that whole scene with Carle and Aura in at the last minute.

**Feral: **Yes, but it does prove of some importance.

**Me: **Yeah it does. Oh yes, I'm starting to think, what if I made April join Lloyd and Co.? It'd give Raine a much bigger part in the story line (which is part of the reason I added April in to begin with)? Does that sound like a good idea?

**Feral: **You're the writer, but yes, I guess you could as for opinions of the readers.

**Me: **Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that, right? Right. Now then, R&R please! I love hearing from people!

**Feral: **Yes, and now you're finally learning a little bit more about me. Oh yes, and Mithos should be/most likely is going to be showing up in the next chapter.


	17. Confusing Research

**Me: **And here's Chapter/Part Seventeen! Yeesh, I've updated three times in a row...I've never done that before...

**Feral: **Yes, here it is…and yes...you _do_ update alarmingly fast on weekends...

**To Understand: Part Seventeen**

**Confusing Research**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: 4**

**Liu Barrowin-**Woo…you reviewed for the past three chapters…wow…uh, anyway…answering your review for Part 14: Yes Genis _does_ love to torture our little red-haired Chosen, though the fact that they haven't noticed that he knows anything…boy they sure are dense. Now for your review for Part 15: Yes he'll live…as you will see—or should I say have seen—in Part 16. And finally, your review for Part 16: Yes there has been a lack of Mithos…for a reason. He's going to appear in this Chapter and hopefully that'll make up for it…I hope….; and in a way, yes Raine has a suspicion about Pronyma, in regards to her brother and his wounds, as well as who she was when she was 'normal'—as in, when she was living in Tethe'alla (I'm assuming she's from Tethe'alla). Well, here's the next Chapter! I hope you like it!

**Hiranieas-**Did you know your name is incredibly hard to remember to spell if you don't look at it? (not that that's a bad thing or anything…it's unique) uh, anyway…yeah it's Feral. But then that brings up a whole bunch of other questions like why was he having that dream to begin with, who was that man in the dream, and who is the other Feral? Hmm…and yes you're right, it _is_ getting close to Halloween! You're going to dress up as Genis? Cool (our costume selection here is just…not good, most of it is like pirates an' stuff…not that I can blame 'em cuz the 'Buccaneers' are my schools mascots an' all…)!

**DraNKa-**You…you're…YOU'RE BACK! I thought you disappeared into the land of no return (well, no, not really but…you were gone a long time)! Oh don't worry about the whole Raine/April thing, Raine'll still have the same role. You noticed it was Kloitz…? Wow, no one's mentioned that…and also I'm soooo sorry you had to stay up till 2 AM reading all the chapters you missed…uh, heh, I guess the reviewers just liked my whole, daily update thing. And yes this is getting a bit…long but meh, I'm trying my best to go by the story line in the game…so yeah. Well, here's the next Chapter--I hope you like it!

**Mizuki hikari-**Yes, in a way, Feral was friends with Genis' father…or something like that. Well, here's the next chapter! I hope you like it!

**Me: **Yay! Finally! Mithos shows up again!

**Feral: **You really did take your time getting here.

**Me: **Yeah, well, some stuff just started building up and besides, I added in that lil' 'skit' with the elven kids in the last two chapters so that took up some space…

**Feral: **Whatever. I'll do the disclaimer now: Harmony283 does not, and will never, own Tales of Symphonia or it's characters. She just uses them, as well as me—who she does own, by the way—as a form of entertainment.

**April: **You know, you're making that sound like a bad thing.

**Me: **huh? April? When—and how—did you get here?

**April: **I teleported in here through that warp pad when you were answering the reviewers!

**Authors Note: **Ah, I see. Well, I guess I could make use of you…somehow…uh, anyway, in this Chapter, like I said above, should be the one where Mithos shows up again! And it's gonna be kinda, sorta…angsty…and you're probably gonna hate me for leaving it off where I do but…I hope you enjoy it none-the-less…and the researching parts are really, really boring…sorry in advance!

-------------------------

Genis' POV

"Feral…? What's…wrong?"

This was odd. Normally Feral would have said something by _now_. But she was dead silent.

And it was starting to creep me out.

"Feral?"

_'And…if it was…me?'_

"Yes it was you. The man, whoever he is, said that. 'I'm sorry Feral.' I wouldn't lie about something like that. Besides, who else has a name like that?"

_'Well, someone else could!' _

I flinched, okay, now she was angry and…why?

"Feral! I'm just stating a fact! Are you that angry at that guy for sealing you in a piece of mirror and then throwing you in a lake?"

'_Well you would be too if you were stuck in here for twelve years!' _

I flinched again, faintly wondering if her voice really was in my head. She was yelling so loud that…I couldn't believe no one else heard her!

"You don't have to yell! I've…I've never seen you this upset before!"

_'Well of course I'm upset! Wouldn't you be if you were…'_

"I _know_ Feral. And yeah, I'd be pretty upset too. But…I dunno, it might just be me but, it seems like this hate runs deeper than that."

'_Well in a way it does.' _

Good, she was calm again.

"And what else are you angry about…?"

_'You…in the dream…you learned about my other self, correct.' _

I nodded my head.

'_Well she's…getting…out of hand. That's why you've been having those sudden fits of anger that you don't remember. She's loosing control because…well…'_

"I'm not strong enough."

'_No, it's not that. She's much too powerful for anyone besides the master, or those of his blood lineage, to control.'_

"Okay then, so we have to find out who the guy was and who his relatives are then we can find out who can control…the other you."

'_Yes. But as for right now, as long as you don't get angry you should be fine.' _

Then I remembered something.

"Wait, is this what you wanted to tell me back in Flanoir, when I broke that mirror?"

'_Yes. But I…didn't want to…I didn't know if you had had any dreams like that yet. You see, when you dream, I can't get into them as easily. The dream you had was reality, at one point. Those dreams are virtually impossible to break through.' _

"I see. Though it is kinda creepy…someone taking complete control over me…Mithos was right."

'_Yes, in a way, he was. But you're forgetting, even though it's been twelve years…I still am not completely separated from my other self.' _

My eyes widened, "So you'll basically…"

'_Die out, or disappear, if he tries to get rid of me. I'm sure he's worried but, for the sake of my humanity, please don't…let him…'_

I smiled, "Don't worry, I won't."

Then I heard the front door of the inn open.

"So he said that…?"

"Yes, he did."

"Hmm, well I still want to speak with him about it."

"You really are too suspicious…hello Genis!" April said, a smile on her face.

Behind her was the village Elder.

'_I told you he wouldn't hand over those documents so easily.' _

Well Feral certainly did go back to normal fast…

"Uh, hello…"

"Hmm, I see…you're doing better." The Elder said, his tone soft, with a hint of amusement in it.

"Yeah, well, I'm not completely better, but I'm better than I was yesterday." I said, watching as he sat down on a nearby chair.

"Hmm yes…April?" "Ah—yes?"

"I would like to speak with…Genis…alone, please."

"Oh, um, right! Of course! I'll be out doing laundry and such, come and get me when you're finished talking."

with that said, April hurried, a little too quickly, in my opinion, out of the room.

Leaving the village elder and me alone to talk.

But what could he possibly want to talk about?

I mean, last time we came to Heimdall he would've thrown out Lloyd and the others just cuz they knew Raine and me—and we were—and still are—half-elves.

I'd be guessing that he'd never want to see my face much less be in a room alone with me.

"Your wound…you said you received it from another Half-elf…one of your tainted blood."

Well he certainly wasn't being nice.

'_Did you honestly expect him to be?'_

Well, no. I guess not.

"Yeah I did. So?"

"Her name was Pronyma?"

"Yeah it was…so?"

"Why do you want the documents?"

I blinked, wait, what did that have to do with…hey! He changed the subject!

"…I said I wanted to learn more about this place—Heimdall—since I was born here."

He just stares at me.

And stares at me…

"What?"

"If you really want to see the documents, I'll go get them."

"…"

_'…he's very…giving…'_

"Um…"

"Yes?"

"You…ah—never mind." Raine'd kill me if I said anything wrong to the village Elder while she was gone.

So it was best to just keep my mouth shut.

'_That's true. You do have the tendency to say stuff you regret.'_

"Fine then, I'll take my leave."

And just like that he walked out the door.

"That was…odd…"

------------------------

Mithos' POV

I lie here, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about many things.

I hadn't seen Genis since he passed out in the Tower of Salvation and to say I wasn't worried would make me a liar.

He…looked so…helpless when he had been standing there. It made me want to hug him, unfortunately with the surrounding company I knew that wouldn't have been allowed, and many questions would have been asked.

Questions that neither of us could answer without suspicion ruling over our heads. No one would believe we were together now--much less if we were still just friends!

Then I had to wonder…where was Kratos?

Or wait, did he leave with them as well? I was gone before he was.

So did that mean he was…going to release Origin?

That was the only thing he was useful for anyway.

"So he really will give up his life just to make sure Lloyd--his son--succeeds. How…heroic." I muttered under my breath before I push myself up off the bed and to the floor.

I was about to walk out of the room when I realized I left my Cruxis Crystal on the bed-side table. I sighed and walked back over to it, picking it up and rolling it around in the palm of my hand.

_'There's…another way…?'_

_'Yeah, I'm sure there is…'_

Those words…Genis…he really thought there was another way.

So why…why am I so hesitant to…want that?

I want Martel alive.

But the price of it--with the way things are now--is the Great Seeds destruction.

But if there's a way where her…life can be restored but the Great Seed can be saved…

Wait, why do I care about the Great Seed? This world has millions of people who hate us.

Who hate Half-elves…

So why?

Maybe…maybe it's because…

Genis loves this world. Just like Martel did.

I blinked, shocked at my own revelation.

They were so alike; Mithos and my sister were.

I smiled, closing my hand around my Cruxis Crystal before walking out of the room.

I was going to go find Kratos.

He would surely know where Genis was.

And then I would…

Tell him that I wanted to change. That I wanted to know the way…to revive Martel.

That I had accepted his idea.

I would help him in any way I could.

I reached the teleporter in no time at all and walked into it…which led me to the seal room in the Tower of Salvation.

I walked hurriedly down the green glowing stairs before extending my wings and flying the short distance over the ocean to Torrent Forest.

To where Kratos was.

----------------------------

Genis' POV

"Here. These are some of the documents you should find…interesting."

I nodded my head, taking the rather old looking stack of papers.

"And here," The Elder handed me a book.

Wait…a book?

"Huh?"

"This is also of our pasts history. If you are as smart as April says you are, then you should find this highly enlightening."

I sweatdropped. Yeah, I was doing this for research, not for enjoyment. That's more in Raines category.

She'd go crazy if she were to get her hands on something this old and important.

"Uh…yeah, thanks!" I said when I had found my voice.

"Hmm…well then, I'm leaving now." He simply nodded to April and headed out.

The room stayed quiet for quite a few minutes, so I decided that either April didn't want to talk or that she was just at a loss for what to say.

Well, I guess I'd better get started on this daunting research.

Who knows when something bad'll happen? Like, say, the Tower of Salvation could collapse at any second!

_'Quit being sarcastic. You said you were going to find out more about how to save Martel so I would suggest looking over those documents on when they did elven/half-elven Exsphere research.' _

Well, yeah, that'd be the best place to start.

"I'm…sorry…"

I jumped, "Wha--?"

April was standing at the doorway, apparently ready to leave.

"I…have to…um…do the laundry and cook or else no one here will…" she murmured.

"Wait so you actually live here?"

April nodded her head, tucking a strand of her soft green hair behind her elven ears, "Yes, I do. My Aunt owns this place. She's away…doing business for a rich Nobleman and she requested that I…keep this place running."

"So you don't have any parents…? Or are they already, um, did they already pass away…?"

April blinked, slightly taken back, then she smiled, "Unfortunately yes. They…were part of an Exsphere research done over 300 years ago. You should be able to read about it there."

"So were you alive then…?"

She laughed, "No of course not! I wasn't born then! I'm only twenty three! I'm the same age as your sister!"

"I…oh…it's hard to tell with Elves…how old they are…"

"Well yes, that's true. Now I…must be going, if you need anything just call."

I nodded my head and watched as she left the room.

_'Well that was somewhat ironic.' _Feral mentioned, though she sounded more curious than anything else.

"Yeah. You just mentioned that type of research going on and then…to have her say that her parents died right after that…"

Then it dawned on me.

Didn't Half-elves…weren't they like the head of the research labs?

_'Well yes, most research is done by Half-elves…' _

"Then why is she acting so friendly to us? Shouldn't she hate half-elves for killing her parents?"

_'You're puttin unnecessary blame on your own kind. Remember what Tabatha said--Exspheres are lonely, and because of their loneliness they engulf others as well.' _

"I…yeah…so it's the Exspheres fault but…they're made from humans who were forced to--"

_'You're delving to deep into the subject. Now get the research done. Because, who knows what will happen…?' _

Now she was just all out taunting me.

"Fine, whatever." I growled before continuing my task of sorting out the papers.

And even that took longer than I thought.

I was nearly half-asleep by the time I was through.

_'Genis…you're falling asleep…' _

I blinked and sat up, shaking my head from side to side, "No I'm not! Now where was I…hmm, it looks like most of the sorting's done…and it didn't look like that many papers to sort anyway…ah well, I'll start over here since these are from about three hundred years ago--according to the date.

So now I was going to have to read this…great. I sat there and stared at the old parchment paper thinking one thing:

How could someone write that small? Yeah, I could read old elven writing pretty well…but…this was nuts.

_'I can help you with it.' _

I blinked, "Eh? Really?"

_'Yes, you're forgetting that I'm in a mirror. I can adjust the size of the image so I can read it better than you can.' _

"Ah…I see…"

_'Hmm, let's see…"Elven Research has begun on the eve of the Winter Solstice, many of our people have been taken--even those with family." This sounds more like a journal entry…' _

"Yeah, well, maybe it was taken from the journal of the Village Elder at the time…"

_'Hmm, well, anyway, 'I've seen first hand what they did to my daughter--Fiona.' Oh I see, this is like a personal experience thing…' _

"Just keep reading."

_'Fine, fine, 'The process from what she explained is painfully drawn out. First they embed Exspheres onto them, attaching them on by using a special Key Crest--a Rune Crest, much like the Chosen has one for their Cruxis Crystal. Though the Half-elves and Humans claim they do no harm, they…do. Fiona, had to go through that grueling pain--and what's worse is the fact that they told us these Cruxis Crystals…when the Elf dies…keeps their souls for countless numbers of centuries until they are destroyed.' _

"…Well, that's kinda like Exspheres, right? So Cruxis Crystals do the same…hmm, but does it say anything about bringing back the recipiant?"

_'Hmm, no…not on this sheet it doesn't. I think…we might have a better chance if we read the book, since these are just old journal pages.' _

"It makes me wonder, though, why the Elder gave these to us in the first place? I mean, they aren't that useful."

_'No they aren't, but did you really think he would give you the real documents?' _

"Well, no…"

_'Exactly. Now let's start reading that…old thing.' _

"Yeah…hopefully it'll have more useful information in it…"

-------------------------------------

Mithos' POV

Finally…I see Kratos down below, leaning against a nearby tree trunk.

Obviously Lloyd and the others haven't gotten there yet.

Perfect.

I make my landing not too far off and make my way towards him.

He seems to notice my presence, but by then, I'm already stepping into the clearing.

"Mithos…what are you doing here?" He asks, his tone cold, yet curious at the same time.

"What do you mean 'what am are I you doing here'? I came to ask you something."

"If it's about Origin and his seal, I won't answer nor will I come back to Vinheim with you."

I shook my head, "No it's not about that."

"Then what do you want?"

I smirked, "You really don't pay much attention do you?"

He gave me a confused look, but said nothing.

I sighed.

"It's about…well, what happened in the Great Seed Chamber."

"What about it?"

"Well…you remember how Genis said that he'd…"

"Find another way? Yes. Though with his wounds I doubt he can do much."

I nodded my head, silently cursing myself for about the hundredth time for not coming to his rescue sooner…maybe then Genis…maybe then he wouldn't have been hurt so badly and maybe Pronyma wouldn't be alive.

"I…know that…but…with his wounds I'm sure he's not with Lloyd and the others…?"

"No, he's not. Or at least, he won't fight. My best guess is that they somehow convinced the elves to let him stay in Heimdall."

My eyes widened, "Really? Well then I can just…no…I can't, can I?"

Kratos nodded his head, "Even if you were to lie, most already know what you look like thanks to the descriptive writings of their pasts."

Well, that was true.

"I see…well, I guess I'll just have to call Genis out to me."

Kratos raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? Don't you know how dangerous this forest is?"

"Of course I know how dangerous it is! That's why…I'll call him into the Ymir Forest and talk with him there."

Kratos just shrugged in response, "It's none of my business." He then turned to look once more over at the path, "But they should be here soon."

"Which is why I take my leave now."

I extended my wings once more, and floated up into the air.

"And you aren't going to say anything about…?"

"It's your decision--and your life Kratos. Do with it what you want."

Then I took off in the direction of Ymir Forest, making sure not to pass over Heimdall, not that anyone would be looking up at the sky--and even if they were they probably would just pass it by as seeing a unique bird or flying monster.

I sighed to myself, landing on the outskirts of the Ymir forest, noting how…unchanged it was. A warm, almost nostalgic feeling swept over me.

All those times I had come here with Martel when I was younger. We would come here to pick fruit, catch fish, or just dangle our feet in the refreshingly cold water.

But this same forest--so soon after all those warm memories--had become somewhat of a nightmare for me.

When we were exiled…when our parents died…they ran us out to this very forest. And by then there were monsters lurking about.

I shivered involuntarily, quickening my pace as I walked across the wooden planks that made up the walkways.

I noted the pink, blue, and white flowers that seemed to be blooming in the most random of places and sighed, remembering again, how Martel would personally take care of those flowers…

But I was glad they were still there.

And I wanted them to stay there…along with this forest.

Because Martel loved this world.

And because…because…Genis wanted this world to be saved, but also wanted Martel to be saved.

And of course, his friends wanted this world to be saved.

But that wasn't as important to me.

I just hoped that Genis had found something--anything--in regards to…to…Martel and how to revive her.

----------------------

Genis' POV

"So…basically, we've found out that the Cruxis Crystals expand ones life, much like it has for Mithos, Yuan, and Kratos. Also, it's easier for someone to split from their body if they have a Cruxis Crystal equipped. So basically their lives are preserved. So we don't have to worry about Martel suddenly aging on us."

_'Yes. Then there's the fact about that…special key crest.'_

"Yeah…so if we can somehow manage to at least revive Martels body--which I have no idea how we're going to do that--and then attach her Cruxis Crystal to what they call a Mana Crest, then we should be able to stabelize her long enough for her to at least be breathing…so that she'll only need a doctor but…"

_'How are we going to get her body back? I…that confuses me as well, but, right now we need to at least…find out what materials this Mana Crest is made out of…' _

"Yeah…" I murmured, stifling yet another yawn.

_'You're getting tired again?'_

I nodded my head, "Yeah. I guess I lost more blood than I thought I did…"

_'Well that's understandable. You should get some rest, like your sister told you to. Then we can read more on this…Mana Crest. Though I am surprised they had something like that in a book like this.' _

"Y-Yeah…well…even you had a hard time reading it…so it must be really, _really_ old. I don't think the village elder…knew it was even in there…"

_'Yes, that's possible…' _

I put the old aging book on the bedside table and gently leaned back against my pillow, sighing contently.

At least I had found out something.

And for right now, that was good enough for me.

_I was…somewhere…I couldn't see my surroundings. It was pitch black._

_But I heard the faint hum of…power? _

Where was I?

'Genis…'

_I blinked, wait, was that…?_

_'Genis…'_

_It was._

_  
It was Mithos' voice!  
_

_But what…where…was he?  
_

_"Mithos? I can hear you but I can't see you…"_

_'I'm in the Ymir forest.'_

_"Wha--why? I thought you went back to Vinheim!" _

'I…did…but…I came back here. I wanted to…ask you something.'

_This confused me. What did he want to ask? _

Or, wait, was it about my promise to revive Martel?

"I…okay but…"

'But?'

_"It's not gonna be easy for me to get out of here--the inn. April…was told to keep a close eye on me…" _

'April?'

_Oh yeah, he didn't know who she was._

_"She's the lady that's supposed to be watching over me. She's a friend to my sister.'_

_"Ah…well…this is really important, can't you tell her you're going out for some fresh air or a walk?'_

_He sounded urgent._

_I sighed, "Well, maybe…it might work but…sure. I guess I could." _

_'Good.'_

_"But where in the Ymir Forest should I meet you?"  
_

_There was silence, as Mithos obviously mulled over the question._

_'I'll be waiting near that huge tree near the entrance of the forest.'_

_"Ah…okay…" _

'I hope you can get here soon. I don't want…your friends to come back to find that you're gone.'

_I laughed at this, though my voice held no humor, "Yeah, I think they--especially Raine--would go balistic. They're already suspicious of my…relationship with you." _

'…You mean they…?'

_I shook my head, "No they haven't figured out that we're…that close to each other but Raine still thinks we're friends." _

'I see…'

_Suddenly the blackness around me started to ease up._

_'Great…my spell's wearing off. You'll wake up soon.'_

_"So that's why I was so tired!" _

'Well yes, besides the obvious reasons, that's why. Now remember, meet me in the Ymir forest.'

_I nodded my head, though knowing he probably didn't see it, and found myself…_

_Falling…_

I blinked, sitting up in my bed.

_'Are you okay, Genis? I…did you have another weird dream again?' _Feral seemed almost scared as she said this.

I shook my head, "No, I didn't. It was, um, Mithos…"

_'Mithos?'_

"Yeah…he…was calling me. That's why I fell asleep so fast. It was his doing."

_'So you're okay?'_

I nodded my head.

_'Good. So…what did he say?'_

"He wants me to meet him in Ymir forest…"

_'I…see…he obviously wants to know if--'_

"I found anything out yet, yeah."

"Genis!"

I blinked and turned to the door, it was April.

"Huh? Oh, hey April."

"Oh my, did I just wake you up…? I'm sorry!" She said, smiling and bowing her head in apology.

"Oh, no it's okay. I was, um, actually…I was going to ask you something…though you'll probably say no…"

"Oh really? What is it?"

"I was wondering if I could go take a walk, reading all of this stuff is giving me a headache and my legs are starting to fall asleep."

"Well…Raine told me not to…"

"I'll be back before they get here though!" I begged, putting on the face I knew would get me what I wanted.

"Oh…all…right. Fine. Just be careful. I don't know what I'd tell Raine if you got hurt again." April said, shaking her head and moving out of the doorway so I could move past her.

"Yeah! I'll make sure to be careful!"

After all, I'm just meeting Mithos. And he's strong enough to protect me if there are any monsters about.

I thanked April quickly before heading out the door and out into the afternoon sunlight--wow, I had been asleep longer than I thought…

_'Just hurry up and get where you're going…' _

"Huh? Why are you so grouchy all of a sudden?" I murmured, be careful not to speak too loudly, lest I get unwanted attention from the townspeople.

_'I don't know…I…my head's actually starting to hurt a little…'_

"Maybe it's cuz of all the reading you had to do. Raine gets cranky if she reads too much too. Maybe you should try, um, y'know, sleeping?"

_'Hmm, yes…that sounds like a good idea…though I don't know how to…'_

I blinked in surprise. She…didn't know how to sleep? Even Mithos knew how to sleep and he didn't even need to sleep!

I didn't get to ask her any more about it before I made my way into the shady forest of Ymir.

So all I had to do was make my way to Mithos…

That shouldn't be too hard right?

Right.

But I still wished I brought my Kendama along--just for extra reassurance.

I made my way up the tree root path up to the upper walkway and hurried across it. Maybe Mithos had taken the time of killing off all the monsters for me?

I was half way across the walkway, and could actually see the tree root leading down to the lower pathway not too far off, when suddenly, almost out of nowhere, a…

Baby boar appeared.

Oh great.

It was charging.

"Ah! Mithos!" I cried out, hoping that he would hear me--and most certainly he would--though I couldn't move.

"Judgement!" Mithos' voice cried out from nearby, though, for some reason, it didn't hit the bull.

How strange.

But now I could move.

I jumped out of the way as I heard Mithos' voice crying out another attack. This time it hit.

I smiled, glad that Mithos had protected me.

But then, when I got up, I…

Fell…

Into the cold water below.

--------------------------------

**Me: **Uh…okay…that didn't go as planned (again).

**Feral: **No it didn't. You really are mean to Genis…making all these bad things happen to him.

**April: **-sniff-Poor Genis! I should have never let him go! Now Raine's going to be so mad at me!

**Feral + Me: **Yes she probably is.

**April:** -sweatdrops-…Don't gang up on me like that!

**Feral: **But it's fun.

**Me: **Eh, well, I have to agree it kinda is…now then, R&R Please! I LUV reviews!

**Feral +April: **No really, she does! -shrugs- -smiles-


	18. In Ymirs Waters

**Me: **And here's Chapter/Part Eighteen! Up only a day after Chapter/Part Seventeen was uploaded!

**April: **Yup! It's up now!

**Me: **Where's Feral?

**April: **You made her have a headache in the last Chapter/Part so she's taking a break for this chapter.

**Me: **Oh…okay

**To Understand: Part Eighteen**

**In Ymirs Waters**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: 5**

**Liu Barrowin-**Yes a cold, wet, bleeding Genis is bad..._very_ bad. And quite honestly I don't know how I can do that to him (he's my all time fav. Character besides Mithos). And, as you can see, yes Genis has really bad luck in this...as for why--and yes there is a reason why--I can't say much, that'd spoil it. And...your head's going to explode? Ack! No! That's bad! Well, uh, here! This is the next Chapter! Does that make it better...?

**Hiranieas-**Eh...that's happened to me too, I wanted to be 'Marina' or some form of that name and...they were all taken by someone...meh. And yes Genis is getting hurt...and yes, Mithos will come to his rescue! He's going to be the 'Night in Shining Spandex' once again! And your mom can sew? Lucky...and why is next Saturday (or this coming Saturday) a happy day? I'll try and see if I can upload a 'happy' chapter that day...maybe...well, here's the next Chapter, I hope you like it!

**Mizuki hikari-**Yeah, Genis _does_ trip a lot...well, here's the next Chapter I hope you like it!

**Viaroura Fox-**Yes there are fish in the water, but not where he fell (he's close to the entrance to Ymir Forest, where no fish are) so no, he won't get eaten. But yeah, Genis has an uncany ability to attract bad luck to him. And yes there's a reason for the bad luck. Now here's the next Chapter and, as always, I hope ya like it!

**Nady-Kun-**Wow...thirty seven? That actually wouldn't surprise me...though I guess it just depends on what you consider 'bad'. And yes, 'ill-fated boy' would be quite fitting for him at the moment (though--wow, I feel like I'm repeating myself--there is a reason for his bad luck) and it's okay that you didn't realize it was Kloitz...I had to go through I don't know how many sites just to find out what he looked like...I even had to resort to fanfiction (which isn't always good for trying to find facts). And yeah, I guess Mithos'd get kinda rusty on his attacks after a while...though there is a reason why his attack didn't work...ah well, you'll find out more in this new chapter so--I hope ya like it!

**Me: **…You probably hate me for leaving another cliff-hanger like that don't you?

**April: **Yes…well, it'll all be resolved in this chapter, right? Right! -smiles happily-

**Me: **…I feel like I'm talking to my clone…

**April: **Huh? Oh, really? That's good!

**Me: **No it's not…it's creepy.

**April: **Oh but that doesn't matter! I'll do the disclaimer now, right?

**Me: **Right…

**April: **Okay then! Harmony283 does not own Tales of Symphonia or any of their characters! She just owns the plot me, and Feral! -smiles-

**Authors Note: **Well, at least you're friendlier than Feral is…um…yeah, this chapter basically wraps up all of what happens with Genis and Mithos in the Ymir forest and then it switches over to the battle with Kratos. So yeah…that's basically it for this chapter (I don't wanna give away too much).

**April: **Well you did work really hard to get up to this point on the last chapter so…be proud!

**Me: **Yeah…I guess…-yawn- I'm sleepy…

----------------------------

Mithos' POV

I had just sent Genis my message, thankfully he had already been tired enough as it was or else someone--preferably that April woman who's supposed to be taking care of him--would get suspicious.

And that wouldn't be good.

But for now I hoped that Genis would actually come. He said he would try to get past her, but…well, sometimes it doesn't work.

But all I could do now was wait.

And I really disliked waiting.

I've been doing it for four thousand years, you'd think I'd get over it by now but…I haven't.

And I don't plan on ever getting over it.

Besides, this was important!

Almost as if on cue, though, I heard Genis' voice.

I smiled, good he actually decided to show up.

But wait…he sounded urgent…was something wrong?

I got up from my position sitting at the base of the tree and hurried off to where his voice was.

And froze.

A Baby boar was charging at him, and he didn't seem to have any form of weaponry on him. And he also couldn't seem to move. Though who could on such a narrow walkway?

Wait, that was bad!

He was already hurt enough--and that's when I couldn't protect him--so there was no way in hell that I'd let him get hurt when I actually could protect him!

I raised my arm in the air, muttering a few ancient words under my breath before crying out:

"Judgement!"

Genis noticed me then, and smiled, relieved that I was there.

That smile was wiped from his face when my attack, despite how powerful and strong it was, missed.

Okay, that wasn't a normal boar.

It was practically leaking with evil energy now.

Almost if by a miracle though, Genis jumped to the side, the boar running past him. But then it stopped.

And I was sure, when I saw the color of it's eyes--a deep purple unlike the normal brown--that it wasn't a normal boar.

"Die you…evil thing! Ray!"

Now that definitely landed its mark, but it also ended up destroying some of the bridge.

Oh great.

When the smoke from the attack lifted, the boar was gone…

But so was Genis.

I looked around frantically, knowing that I couldn't have hit him with my attack, I had gotten so good at controlling my power that it wouldn't have hurt him even if it did.

Then I noticed the waters surface…there were waves.

Wait…did that mean he…fell in?

Oh great.

That wasn't good.

"GENIS!"

------------------

Genis' POV

I could hear Mithos' voice, though it was muffled as water flooded into my ears. I could only continue falling.

I was like a dead weight.

But of course I would be. I'm too weak to swim.

_'Genis! Get ahold of yourself!' _Ferals voice echoed in my mind.

And I couldn't even hear her very well.

Must be the lack of oxygen.

I feel some sort of leafy plant rush by me and know that I'm close to the bottom. Maybe…just maybe I can push myself up off the bottom and swim towards the surface?

That is, if I turn around first.

I do so, though my movements are sluggish.

That's when I see it.

Something reflecting the little sunlight that seeped through the trees.

It was a…

Mirror?

Or at least a piece of a mirror.

_'Wait a second…that's…oh…my head…'_ Feral sounded like she might cry.

Hey…in my dream…wasn't there a piece of mirror too?

And didn't that man…throw it into the water?

If that dream really did take place in Ymir forest Twelve years ago...then…that piece of glass could be…

Now I was right up close to it. Well, I was close enough to see that it was almost entirely buried in mud.

I grabbed onto the visible side and pulled, wincing in pain as the sharp edge cut into my skin, causing me to bleed.

But I didn't stop pulling.

If this was that mirror then…wouldn't Feral be inside of it?

Maybe this is the cause of her headache?

Finally, after a few more tugs, the shard of mirror had come loose from its rather muddy resting place.

And, even though it had been stuck in the mud for so long…it didn't show any signs of it. The Mirror piece was completely clean--it almost looked brand new.

Now that was just creepy.

I loosened my grip on the mirror so that I could push up off the ground and flinched.

I guess those cut wounds had gone farther than I thought.

And now my hand was practically gushing blood…though maybe it was just the water swirling it around that made it look so bad.

But still…it hurt.

And I was running out of air fast.

That's when I heard the faint 'sploosh' sound of something--or someone--diving into the water. I turned to look at where the noise came from, but my vision was blurred. I could hardly see a thing.

I felt something grip my wrist and tug me towards them. I ran up against something firm, but comforting at the same time.

Was it Mithos?

I couldn't tell. My brain wasn't working right.

I could feel the person swimming upwards, towards where--I assumed--the surface was.

A few seconds later I got my answer when we broke surface. The air…tasted so sweet in my deprived and burning lungs.

Why couldn't I stop coughing?

I soon found myself lying on my back on the wooden walkway, Mithos' face lingering over mine.

"H-Hey…Mithos…"

"Are you okay…?" he whispered, his voice filled with concern.

"I…" then I started coughing again. Mithos quickly aided me by helping me sit up. He then patted my back in an effort to help me get the water out of my lungs.

How it had gotten there I had no idea.

I couldn't remember if I had opened my mouth or not.

Then I remembered the mirror shard. Did I still have it?

"The…mirror…" I whispered, looking over at Mithos, who gazed back curiously.

"You mean this…?" He asked, picking up something out of my view.

It was the same mirror piece I had found at the bottom of the lake.

Good, I thought I had dropped it.

"But why do you…why did you bring this up?" Mithos asked gently, placing the mirror back down, though he seemed a little bitter.

"I…because…it's…"

"You scared me! You could've drowned if you hadn't…if you hadn't gotten this mirror you could've made your way back up so why…oh…"

I felt warm tears slid down my face, why was he yelling?

He seemed to realize this and he moved forward, pulling me into a warm, yet wet, embrace.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to make you cry…you just worried me…"

I nodded my head mutely, "Y-Yeah…I…I know…" was all I could force out. I felt my eyelids grow heavy and knew that sleep would soon follow. But Mithos had wanted to talk about something important, so I forced myself awake again.

"Wh-what…did you…want to t-talk…about?"

Mithos seemed surprised that I still wanted to know, "Oh, yes…that…are you…did you find anything about…"

"…Martel?" I finished for him, nuzzling my face into the saturated fabric on his chest.

"Yeah…though I don't think…I should be asking that of you in…your current condition."

I shook my head, "No. It's fine. I said I'd do it--that I'd find another way to revive Martel…and I think I have. Or…at least…p-partially."

A cold wind blew through the trees and I shivered, moving closer to Mithos, who complied by pulling me closer.

-----------------------

Mithos' POV

I stared at the shivering boy in my arms. He was doing so much for me even in his condition. I…he must really love me.

But what was I doing to help him?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

But what could I do?

"Genis…"

"I…what I found out I-is…"

"Is…?"

"M-Mana…Cr-Crest…we need a Mana Crest…"

"Mana Crest…?" The name sounded familiar, but where had I heard it from?

"Y-Yeah…we need it…it'll help…bring Martel b-back…"

"But how?"

"…if…when…we place it on her…her original b-body…then…then put the Cruxis Crystal I-in it…it should…make her better…"

"Her original body? How do we…get back her original body?"

"I…d-don't know…that's a-all I f-found out…I'm…I'm sorry…"

This struck me as odd. He was sorry for doing all that research when I…when I hadn't done a thing? It was almost funny, but now wasn't the time to be laughing.

"You're sorry? You shouldn't be sorry!"

Genis looked up at me, his eyes still slightly unfocused, but managed to whisper, "What…?"

I smiled, "You've done so much…and I've done nothing…"

He seemed shocked at this.

"N-Nothing? Y…yes you have! You…you've saved me so many times now--you just saved me a few minutes ago too! How can…you say…you've done…nothing?"

Now it was my turn to be shocked. Well, yes, it was true that I had saved him all those times but…that was because he was in danger. You…protect the ones you love, right?

"I…see…you think that…yes, I have saved you many times…but you're still hurt."

"S-so? You said yourself that change comes with sacrifices right? W-well…I…I think that if…if we want to revive Martel…th-then…it's kinda the same thing, it doesn't…come without sacrifices…"

"But you're sacrificing your health and your time to rest!"

"Genis…? Genis where are you…?" I blinked and looked up.

There, not too far off was a woman with green hair and blue eyes.

Wait…why did I suddenly think of Pronyma? Pronyma doesn't…she couldn't be here…could she?

"Oh!" the woman gasped when she saw us and ran forward.

That's when I noticed that she was an elf--oh wait, why wouldn't she be? There wouldn't just be any old human/half-elf wandering around in these woods and Heimdall is, like, right there so yeah, she'd be an elf.

"Are you okay? You're both soaking wet…what happened?" She asked gently, bending down to us.

"I…" I began, not really sure what to say.

"April…um…we…fell in…" Genis said, trying hard to keep his hands, which had many cuts on them due to that mirror piece he had tried so hard to keep ahold of, hidden.

"Fell in! That's…not good…here, why don't you come back to the village to get dried off?" she asked, directing the question at both Genis and me.

Wait a second, was she actually offering me an invitation to go into the village of the elves…my hometown that I was banned from centuries ago?

"Uh…" And yet again, I had no idea what to say.

"Y-yeah, that'd be…yeah…" Genis answered for me, smiling weakly.

"Here then…" she reached out a hand to help Genis and I up, when she noticed it.

His hands.

"Y-your hands! You're bleeding…how…?"

"Ah--" Genis moved his hands away from hers immediately, looking extremely apologetic. He had obviously told her that he would be fine.

And he obviously wasn't fine.

But the woman, Genis had called her April, just sighed and held out her palm again, "Place your hands in my palm, I can heal small wounds like that in no time."

So she was a healer?

"Y-you…won't tell R-Raine?"

"No, not unless these cuts are deeper than they look." She gave him another reassuring smile, which sent another wave of confusion through me. Why did this woman remind me of Pronyma? For one she wasn't even a half elf, and two…her presence was just too good to be…anywhere near Pronymas.

But I still couldn't shake the feeling.

Genis reluctantly held out his hands and placed them gently in her palms. In return April murmured a few elven words, causing a pale yellow light to appear, which engulfed Genis hands. In a matter of seconds the light disappeared and Genis removed his hands, looking at them in awe.

No wounds could be seen.

This really didn't surprise me, but it did tell me that this April woman was kind to Half-elves, or at least it made that point blatantly more obvious than it already was.

"Now then, let's get you two back to the inn. But first I have to ask, what's your name?"

I blinked, "Oh, uh, I-it's…Mithos…"

"Mithos? Ah…I s-see…you might want to refrain from telling anyone else that." She whispered before turning away and leading the way back to the village.

I bowed my head and muttered; "Yeah, I know."

-----------------------------------

Lloyds' POV

"Hiya!" I cried out, slashing my blades across the thick metal like hide on my opponent: A Gold Dragon.

…Only to get immediately thrown back by a powerful blast coming from the monsters mouth, which sent me flying.

"Healing Stream!" I heard Zelos cry out, and suddenly I felt a calming breeze sweep around me. I got up slowly, savoring the feeling for a few seconds before glancing back at Zelos, smiling and nodding my head in thanks, before running forward again.

Sheena kept hitting it with her cards, which did little good until she used Pyre Seal, which gave us some much needed time for healing, which Zelos took care of.

Presea and I then rushed forward, her swinging her ax and I swinging my swords. Sheena soon ran up to help us, until, of course, the mighty dragons tail hit her, sending her flying backwards much like what happened to me.

The only difference is she landed, and attempted to call up a Summon Spirit.

And the Summon Spirit was Volt, who appeared just overhead, and sent raining thunderbolts down around the Dragon, which caused it to cry out in agony--thus disappearing.

We all gathered around Sheena and congratulated her.

"Aww, it was nothing but still…Lloyd you really shouldn't be fighting. I mean, you want to save all your strength for Kratos, right?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah, I guess I do…"

"So we will take over the fighting." Presea said, to which everyone agreed.

"Yes, I will take your place and fight." Regal announced. And of course, I had to agree. He was a good fighter, he wouldn't let our group die.

"Yeah. Okay then. So it's just Colette, Raine and I watching the battles." I turned my gaze over to Raine, who constantly looked behind her, as if looking for something; a worry expression plastered her face.

"Professor?" Colette asked, walking over to her with a worried expression on her face.

"Hmm, yes?" Raine said, snapping her attention away from her thoughts and to us.

"You're really worried about Genis aren't you?"

Raine sighed, "Well hiding that fact wouldn't do me any good, but yes, I am…very worried about him. I'm afraid he won't do as I asked and we'll come back to find him in worse condition than we left him in."

"But you said that April chick was watchin' him, and you seemed to trust her…" Zelos said, curiosity in his voice.

Raine smiled, she even chuckled a bit, "Oh it's not that I don't trust her it's just…she caves in so easily sometimes. And I'm sure Genis would convince her into letting him go outside."

"You two really do know eachother well?" Presea commented, though it sounded more like a question.

"Ah yes, we do. We…were friends when I was younger. I'm surprised she actually stayed in the village this long…but that's not important, what's important is that we find out where Kratos is and quickly."

I nodded my head, "yeah…now that furry creature thing went…"

"I see it. It's over there." Presea pointed with the head of her ax, over to a nearby path.

And sure enough there it was, over by some nearby flowers.

Like it had been waiting for us.

What a weird animal.

"Ah, well, since we found it, let's go!" I said, punching my fists into the air before heading off down the path, everyone following behind me.

We passed through the next area of the forest without much harm, and Sheena cooked us a heavy meal of curry, just like she had back at the Earth Temple place.

When then headed into the next area.

"Well the trees seem to be…getting closer together…" Colette murmured as we watched one battle. I nodded my head, "Yeah, we must be getting closer, right Professor?" I turned face Raine, who was, yet again, looking behind her.

It made me wonder why she didn't just stay behind in Heimdall. It would've eased her consciousness a lot.

"Ah…yes…I believe we…are." She answered, her voice faint.

"Haha! We won!" Sheena cried out, smiling happily.

"Okay then, let's get going, shall we?" Raine was the first one up and the first to walk down the path.

"Yeah…okay…" now I was worried. The Professor never acted like that before. What was bugging her?

"Hmm it seems like something up…"

So Zelos had noticed too?

"Yes but…she told us not to worry so, let's just, um, go?" Colette said before hurrying off after the Professor--almost tripping over a rock, but stopping herself.

I sighed and nodded my head, "Yeah! Let's go!" and followed them.

When we reached the next area…the air was thick with tension.

Kratos had to be here.

And sure enough, he was, leaning on a nearby tree trunk, looking at us with those normally cold reddish brown eyes.

I also noticed that a lone slab stood in the center of the small clearing, sunbeams from the pre-sunset sky dancing along the ground around it.

That must be Origins seal.

"So you came." Kratos said, his voice emotionless.

"Yeah, we have." I said, staring at him in the eyes. I hoped against hoped that this time he wouldn't go easy on me.

All those other times…he had and it just…ugh, I hated him for it. But this time he wasn't going to do that.

But first…

"So there really isn't another way is there?"

"No, there isn't."

"Fine then." I turned to face everyone, "Okay you guys, I…want to fight this one alone."

They looked shocked, and even Kratos did.

"You're…fighting alone?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah, that way you can't go easy on me!" I drew my swords out, "Now, are you ready?"

He nodded his head, drawing his sword, "Yes, I am."

With that said, we ran forward.

-------------------------------------

**Me: **And that's Part Eighteen. Yeesh…that part with Mithos and Genis took longer than I thought…and for some reason Mithos sounds really OOC…

**April: **Hmm, well, at least Genis is okay now! -smiles-

**Me: **Yeah…you honestly didn't think I'd make him die, did you?

**April: **Well, you are the authoress, as Feral keeps saying so…I don't know what you're going to do next!

**Me: **Eh, and I'll just keep saying that's true. Okay then, R&R please! I love hearing from people!


	19. Fight Origin! Mithos' Gift

**Me: **-sigh- I'm so tired…I was supposed to get this up yesterday...

**Feral: **And who's fault is that?

**Me: **-mumbles-you know, I'm almost starting to wish April was back…

**April: **Did some one call my name?

**Me + Feral: **0.o how did you get in here?

**To Understand: Part Nineteen**

**Fight Origin! Mithos' Gift**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews:  
**

**Hiranieas-**Oh good, I thought I made him sound too…um…kind, well, yeah. As for if anyone'll recognize Mithos. Not really unless they've seen the 'private documents' that the Elder has (the ones Genis was looking through) other than that no, they wouldn't. And yeah, it'd be bad if Lloyd and Co. came back before Mithos came back –ponders-hmm, that's actually a good idea…hmm…-coughs-And so September 30th is Happy Day #2 eh? Well, that's a good enough reason to try and be happy so yeah! I'll see how the chapters work out and see if there's a reasonably happy, or in this case really fluffy, chapter I can upload that day. Well, here's the next Chapter, I hope you like it!

**Mizuki hikari-**I'm glad you think it's getting more interesting! And here's the next Chapter, enjoy!

**Liu Barrowin-**You're right about one thing, Mithos and Genis haven't really gotten any alone time since Flanoir (thanks to certain people-coughslikeRainecough-) but they _should_ have some alone time when they get to Venheim and Mithos—ack! No! I'm not gonna spoil anything (it's my bad habit)! So um, yeah, here's the next Chapter: Enjoy!

**Viaroura Fox-**Yes Genis does have bad luck…but remember it's all because of one thing! Okay? Okay. Now as for how he'll get out…he will…eventually. And no one will really remember him (remember, the life span of an elf is only around 1000 years or less) except for maybe the village Elder who, like I said in Hiranieas review—has the village documents/papers with him. So yeah, Mithos had better stay away from the Elder! …But wait…the Elder might want those documents back…and Mithos'll be at the inn with Genis…uh-oh…

**Nady-Kun-**Actually yeah, I think I did describe him in a chapter (I think it's the one when Genis first has that weird dream). From what I've found out, he had black, slightly spiky hair, and purple eyes. So basically Genis and Raine take after their mom (though if you look closely Genis has more purple than blue in his eyes…) And yes –pats Nady-Kun on back- April does have something to do with Pronyma—or should that be the other way around? Hmm, you'll have to find that out when Pronyma shows up –coughs- and yeah –snickers evilly- Mithos does look like a girl. I've got a (rather crappy looking) pic of him with his hair up in a ponytail cuz 'someone' wanted to see how he looked with his hair up…I can't say who it was though—just that it's fanart for a later Fanfic I plan on doing and that an OC in it is the one who suggested it–shifty eyes- not that I'm giving away any info on a sequel or anything -coughs-so uh yeah! Enjoy this new Chapter!

**Me: **Wooh! I did a double title again!

**Feral: **Yes, you did.

**April: **So you did one before…?

**Me: **Yeah, way back in I think Chapter/Part three

**April: **Ah…back then you didn't even think of putting me in the story -weep-

**Feral: **Oh lighten up, now then, I'll do the disclaimer: Harmony283 doesn't own ToS or any of its characters. She only owns the Plot, me, and this crybaby –points to April-, April.

**April: **I'm not a crybaby!

**Authors Note: **…Okay now you two…don't start fighting…Uh, yeah, anyway, in this Chapter, just like the title says, Lloyd and Co. are going to finish fighting Kratos (well Lloyd is anyway) and then they're going to fight Origin. Of course it won't be the same since Genis isn't there and Mithos isn't 'dead'. And, also like the title says, Mithos is going to give Genis something. I can't say what (it'd spoil it).

------------------------------

Genis' POV

"Are you sure…you…look exactly like…what's your name, boy?" yet another guard asked as we made our trek to the inn.

Man this was starting to get annoying.

But still…poor Mithos.

"Why do you wanna know? I mean, I'm a friend of Genis and I saved him when he fell into the water--isn't that enough?"

"Yes, Nicholas! Isn't that enough? Now please, these two need to rest and get dried off! I know you, along with almost everyone else in this village, hold a particular disdain for…half-elves…but…the village elder said that any friend of Lloyds could stay here. And obviously Genis' friend Mithos has to be a friend of Lloyd as well."

Nicholas stared at Genis and Mithos quizzically before rubbing his forehead.

"Fine, fine, I'll let you through. Just make sure to stay inside the inn from now on. Like April said, many elves hold deep hatred for their half-kin, meaning you two."

This surprised me.

Well, what he said was true but the way he said it…

He…didn't mind us being here?

"Oh!" April suddenly gasped, "I'm sorry! I called you Nicholas didn't I? I'm so sorry Nathan!"

The guard, now dubbed Nathan, grinned, "Ah don't worry, it's hard to distinguish me from my twin brother. Now get…going you three."

"I…yes…" April turned and smiled at us, "Let's go now."

I nodded my head, "Yeah…I'm getting kinda tired…" And I was…

My vision was blurring and my legs felt like jello…but I didn't want to be a burden on anyone. Im' pretty sure I've already made a lot of people worried because of all the things that happened to me over the past few days…

Especially Raine.

She was probably worried sick about me.

Which reminded me, shouldn't they be back soon?

"Genis! Hey--are you okay?"

I blinked, realizing that I was…woah…now I'm dizzy…

"Oh my…I think you definitely need to rest."

I nodded my head, but, ugh, would things just stop spinning?

Just for a second?

Please?

I felt myself falling again…oh great.

"Ack!" thankfully Mithos was behind me and held me up.

"I'm…sorry…I'm just…sleepy…" I murmured, closing my eyes. What good were they anyway when I couldn't see straight?

"I…he's…out like a light…" I heard Mithos say; though his voice sounded thick and far away.

My only thought was that I _really_ have to stop fainting on people.

That and…where was Feral? She's been awfully quiet for the past couple of minutes…I couldn't even _sense_ her like I usually could.

Maybe she really did take my advice and was trying to some sleep?

-------------------------------------

Mithos' POV

Well Genis definitely had been putting on a strong front.

But than in and of itself made me feel bad.

Because I didn't notice how bad his condition really was.

Not that he'd _want_ to make it known or anything…

"you're right, he's fast asleep…you might as well get him back to the inn before," Nathan looked around at the nearby villagers, some of which who had turned to us, "you draw anymore attention."

I nodded my head, "Yeah, I guess we should."

April made a move to come over and take Genis from me but I shook my head, "No, it's fine. I can carry him back."

Besides, for some odd reason I still…

I still didn't trust that woman, April.

Yeah Genis said she was nice, and yeah, she had even proven that she had a kind heart but I just couldn't be too sure about her.

After all, Pronyma has been going against orders lately, and this woman somehow reminded me of her.

But that was beside the point! Getting Genis to where he could properly rest--the inn--was the most important point right now!

April seemed kind of startled though, when I declined her offer.

Wow, she must still be extremely young not to know all of what's going on…

But didn't Genis say that she was the friend of his older sister? So maybe she was only her age? That would make sense…

I maneuvered so that Genis was now leaning up against my chest, his right shoulder facing me, then I placed on arm underneath his now bent legs, at the knees, and one arm behind his back, and got up slowly, making sure not to brush the wounded hand too much.

"Okay…let's go."

April nodded her head, watching me suspiciously, before turning away and walking down the path towards the inn.

------------------------------

Genis' POV

I yawned and blinked, sitting up.

Wait, how long have I been out? And…I was back at the inn…

'_Don't worry, you haven't been out long…only about thirty minutes…your friends aren't back yet.' _

"Ah…okay…"

I heard some talking in the other room and footsteps coming towards me.

"Genis! You're up! Oh good…I don't know what I'd tell Raine if she had come back…" April said, a look of relief sweeping over her features. Mithos, who was right behind her, kept looking at her oddly, as if something was bugging him.

But what could it be?

He then turned his gaze to mine and smiled, "I'm glad you're up…and that you're okay…if I had know you were as…ah…bad off as you were I would have never—"

I shook my head, "No. It's not your fault I fell in the water. It was that…monsters fault."

He nods his head, then looks back at April with the same uneasy stare. She notices and looks a bit sad but smiles, "Okay then…I'll be outside doing…some more laundry. I'll come and tell you when your sister and your friends arrive." She then turns and walks out the door, though her aura remained sad. In return, Mithos relaxed, letting out a relieved sigh. It made me curious—why would Mithos feel so…uncomfortable around her? I mean, she's a sweet person and she doesn't seem like the type to do something bad…

…Right?

"Mithos…?"

He turns to me, his turquoise eyes boring into my indigo ones, a small smile—almost a smirk—played across his lips.

He moved forward with grace that, well, it looked like he was gliding across the floor instead of walking.

And then he was next to the bed.

"Yes Genis?"

His tone of voice sent shivers down my back…but not from fear.

'_Oh my…I think I should excuse myself now…' _

This confused me. Normally Feral would want to stay and watch/hear what happened between me and Mithos.

'_You really are dense at times…aren't you? He's your boyfriend, and now you're finally alone together with no one to interrupt you…'_

Then I got it.

And I blushed.

This caused the small smile to turn into a full out smirk on Mithos' face.

"…Uh…um…I…I told you about the…the…" Gods I was stuttering more than normal!

And…and he really didn't have to stare at me like that…

But his eyes…they had the same sparkle I saw in Zelos' eyes back in Flanoir.

So it wasn't a bad thing but…

My train of thought was cut off rather suddenly as a pair of soft, yet demanding, lips landed on my own.

Wow…this was my, what, third—no, fourth—kiss in a four—or was it five—day span.

But did it really matter?

No, it didn't.

I smiled and leaned against him, trying once more to return the…form of affection.

And of course, since this was the second time, he wasn't shocked, he just pulled me closer.

He then pulled away, only to bury his head in the nape of my neck.

Which only caused the blush on my face to brighten.

"I'm…so…glad you're okay…" He whispered against the sensitive skin, causing me to gasp.

"Ah! Um…y-yeah…I'm…I'm glad to see you…that you're okay too…"

He pulled away and smiled at me, reaching his right hand up and tangling it in my hair.

His soft expression then turned serious, his eyes narrowed in obvious thought.

I waited in silence, knowing that whatever Mithos was going to say was going to be important.

"I…you told me about this Mana Crystal…yes?"

I nodded my head.

"What's needed for it?"

"Ah…um…well, basically everything that was needed to make Rune Crest for Colette—which is good since we have left over material of each, except for the Aionis—but then there's something called…uh, what was it…I think it was "Aqua Ore" or something like that…we need it more than an inhibitor ore. It's the basis of it."

"But if you don't have inhibitor orb then…isn't it useless?"

I shook my head, "I need to do more reading on it, but I think you need that along with Inhibitor Ore to etch a special pattern in it. I copied the pattern down but I don't know if I could do it…"

Mithos nodded his head, "I see…" he then brought his free hand up, fishing for something in his pocket.

He smiled at me when he saw me staring at him and brought his hand out.

And in it was his Cruxis Crystal, which had an incredibly strong red glow to it…but it was green.

"I…your Cruxis Crystal…?"

He nodded his head, "Yeah. I…well…I made up my mind and I…have a proposition for you."

I nodded my head, wondering exactly what he was going to ask me to do.

"If you do find a way to get a hold of…this Aqua Ore…then I would like for you to come to Venheim with the needed items. I have one dwarf who can…perform the task of making the special Crest, and I will also provide the Mana Fragment...but in order for you to come directly there, to my chamber, would be through my Cruxis Crystal."

I blinked, "So…? Wait, are you saying you want to give me your Cruxis Crystal?"

I stared at him in shock.

To this he just smiled and chuckled, "Yes, I would like for you to keep this. Besides, who knows what will happen from here on out? You do realize that, if your friends are successful in their pact with Origin that soon after, I'm sure, they will find a way to make a ring out of that Aionis Zelos stole so that Lloyd can wield the Eternal Sword…"

Oh yeah…the Eternal Sword was still under Mithos' Pact.

"But wait…he can't really do that unless you…"

"Unless I die or have broken my pact—neither of which I plan on happening. But…we'll reach that point in time when we come across it."

Yeah but…Lloyd doesn't know what a good person Mithos really is!

He might actually try and kill him!

"But…"

Mithos placed his Cruxis Crystal, which was oddly warm and comforting to the touch, in the palm of my hand, closing my fingers around it with his own.

"Don't worry about it now…please…all I ask is for you to keep your promise about Martle…and reviving her. Will you still do that even if I…die?"

His eyes looked so sad, yet so serious at the same time.

How could I say no?

"…Yeah…I promise."

He smiled, "Good, my sister doesn't deserve to stay dead…"

"Yeah…from…what I heard her say…she must have been an amazing person…and a person who loves the world as much as she did…"

"…never deserved to die." Mithos finished, leaning his head on my shoulder once more.

And, in all honesty, I believed him.

What could have overtaken those humans into killing an amazing person like Martel?

Didn't they have any sympathy at all?

-------------------------------

Lloyds POV

The clang of metal, then the groan.

Kratos fell to his knees in pain and defeat.

I had won

I had finally won against him.

My father.

"I finally beat you." I murmur, sheathing my swords as I stared at the wounded form of my father. The wounds I gave him shouldn't have killed him…he should be able to live.

That is unless if he releases the seal.

"I see…aren't you going to finish me off?"

"No."

"What?"

"I…beat Angle of Cruxis."

He just stares at me.

"And I've forgiven the Kratos of the past--the one who ended the Kharlan war."

"…I see…"

Kratos gets up slowly and makes his way over to Origins Seal.

Then I realize it.

He's still going to sacrifice his life…for me…

But why…?

I didn't…no…

"What? You're still going to sacrifice yourself--"

"Is that not what you want? When Origin is released then you can make the pact and save the two worlds."

"But…you don't have to sacrifice yourself! Isn't there a better way?"

Kratos sighs and turns away, placing his hand on the stone grave stone like marker.

An eerie blue glow surrounds him and his wings are released.

Then he falls to the ground…

Or would have, but…

Yuan caught him.

Wait, when'd Yuan get here?

Agh! That didn't matter Kratos was--

"Da--Kratos!"

A flash of blue light surrounded Yuans hands and seemed to transfer to Kratos' limp form.

"There…don't worry, I transferred some of my Mana to his body. He should be fine now."

I sighed in relief and looked back at the stone marker, or rather, to what was above it.

It was Origin.

The ruler over all Summon Spirits.

"You who lack the right. I have lost faith in all things. Have you come to disappoint me as well?"

Well I wasn't expecting that.

"Origin. Are you bound by a pact with…Mithos?"

"My Pact with Mithos was broken the moment I was freed. Never again shall anyone make use of my power."

That wasn't good…

"Even if we make a vow? We need the Eternal Sword!" Sheena cried out, coming up behind me.

"I want to use the Eternal Sword to reunite the two worlds and revive the Giant Kharlan Tree. Unless we do something, the worlds will never stop vying for mana and everyone will suffer!"

Come on now, he had to agree with that right? I mean, I poured my heart out into that…

"That situation was born from the weakness of creatures who are unable to accept those that are different."

Well that was true…but still…

"That may be true, but mistakes can be corrected."

"Some things cannot be corrected."

"Even so…we have to do everything we can!" Colette whispered, sounding slightly worried, and why wouldn't she? Origin wasn't really…well…cooperating with us.

But she was right.

"Exactly, I'm not gonna give up. From the moment they are born everyone has the right to live. I want to reclaim that. Humans, elves, half-elves, dwarves, and even Summon Spirits. Everyone has the right to life!"

Kratos…who somehow managed, with the help of Yuan, to stand up, walked forward, "Origin…For almost an eternity, I thought that the only way to save this world was to cling to Mithos' ideals. Just as you once agreed with Mithos' ideals, I, too, thought his way was the only way. But Lloyd is different. He taught me that in order to change something, you must do it yourself. It is not enough to merely rely on someone else and go along with their ideals."

Origin stayed silent for a few minutes, as if thinking. When he spoke he said, "…You who possess the right of summoning. Make your vow."

Wow…he certainly did agree fast. Maybe it was because Kratos--his 'seal'--had told him it was okay? That made me wonder…were there other Summon Spirits that had a 'seal' like Origin?

Nah probably not. Because if they did, it'd obviously mean that they were dangerous.

"I will try once more to believe in people…I shall do my duty in order to create a world you speak of--a world in which everyone can live equally."

Sheena smiled and made her vow, "I, Sheena, have but one vow. To reclaim a world in which everyone can live freely…A world in which no life is sacrificed…that's all."

Origin smirked, "Then we shall create a pact upon that vow--now fight!"

he unfolded his…four arms…and brought out two sharp looking swords and two staffs with sharp blades on the ends of them.

Why did we always have to fight them?

------------------------------------------

**Me: **And that's the end of Chapter/Part 19!

**Feral: **-nods head- yes it is the end…but I hardly showed up at all in this Chapter…

**Me: **That's cuz you're supposed to be asleep…or pleasantly out of it for a while…

**Feral: **Ah…okay…but…I can't shake the feeling like this is the 'calm before the storm' kind of thing…right?

**Me: **You'll just have to wait and find out. Now then…I've been wondering this for a while, but, what's Pronyma's eye color? It's not really that important but she'll be showing up again soon and I don't want to get her eye color mixed up…I think it's either Green or Purple…but I don't know…

**April: **Well, that's a good question! I don't even know that…

**Me + Feral: **And how exactly would you know that anyway?

**April: **-gulps- uh, um, I just might? Uh…I have more laundry to do! Bye!

**Me: **…Uh…anyway…R&R, I love hearing from people!


	20. The Missing Piece

**Me: **Heheheheh…I've got Twenty Chapters up now! And it's another Homework free weekend!

**Feral: **Yes…though I'm amazed you haven't run out of ideas yet…and this also means you'll be updating frequently…which you already have considering just yesterday you put up Chapter Nineteen…

**Me: **Oh hush up. It's not like that's a bad thing…- -;

**To Understand: Part Twenty**

**The Missing Piece**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: 3 (wow! I'm at 60 reviews—and 1970 hits—now! )**

**Liu Barrowin-**Well, no, this fic has at least 5--most likely more--chapters in it so don't worry! And good luck with your 'adventure over the Internet'…uh…-coughs-yeah, anyways, here's the next Chapter, I hope you like it!

**DraNKa-**Heh, I knew at least _one_ person would realize the double meaning/naughtiness in the last chapter-giggle-and yes the April/Pronyma thing will be resolved in…either this Chapter or the next, (depending on the length), so yeah, it actually starts in this Chapter…and one vote for purple? Well okay then, it's purple! And…a review got cut? Uh, well, that's not good…but hey! At least this one didn't get cut! Well here's the next Chapter, I hope you like it!

**Hiranieas-**Ah yes, I remember that song…but did you know? It's possible for a guy to get pregnant! At least…that's what one girl in my English class said…it's kinda complicated and has a lot to deal with surgery and all that so…I won't really go into it…-shudders-but yeah. Thanks for the praise! I'm glad you think I'm a great writer! It makes me so happy! -brings out box of cookies- you get free cookies! Well here's the next chapter--I hope you like it!

**Me: **Well, I'm officially on Chapter/Part Twenty! And I _still_ can't get over it…

**Feral: **yes, that and the fact that there are going to more chapters than you planned since you added that whole 'Aqua Ore' thing in during the last Chapter.

**Me: **Oh hush, besides, its way easier to find than ya think!

**Feral: **-shrugs- whatever you say…now I'll do the disclaimer: Harmony283 doesn't own ToS, she just owns me, April, and the plot…and maybe a copy of the ToS soundtrack…if she can ever get around to asking her dad about it…

**Me: **Hey!

**Feral: **Well you _do_ have enough money for it…it's only $22 on E-bay

**Authors Note: **Well I'm saving up that money to buy a PS2 thank you very much! Now anyway…what exactly does the title for this chapter mean? Well, let's just say it's something that one character says. Basically all that happens in this Chapter is that Mithos regains some ability to feel and they do research an' stuff...oh yes, and April finally gets a POV in this Chapter...and Pronyma shows up. Oh yeah, and did I meantion that Feral looses control? No? Well...she does...I wonder what'll happen?

**April: **Oooh, I still wonder what would happen if Raine and the others came back when Mithos is still there, cuddling with Genis! ...Not that they'll do that in this Chapter but...-smiles-

**Feral: **…honestly, how do you get in here?

**April: **I will never tell!

-------------------------------

Mithos' POV

I watched the young mage in front of me. He seemed to be deep in thought about something.

But what?

What could be going on in that mind of his?

His expression seemed pained, and I didn't like it.

"Genis…"

he snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at me questioningly.

"Are you…what are you thinking of?"

He blinked and then shifted his gaze downwards, "I…was…well…the people who killed Martel…they…"

"They were avenged. Don't worry yourself over it…please."

He sighs, "I know…but…um…also…" He looks up at me and then over at a rather old looking bound book.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"I read the stuff about the Mana Crest in…that book…so yeah…"

"I see. So do you think there was any possibility for your sister to leave some things behind when they went into Ymir forest?"

"Maybe, but I doubt it."

I nodded my head, "Well if they had left something here, and it just so happened to be the items that we needed to make this special Key Crest, then I would've taken them to Venheim"

"Are you still sure that I can just take your Cruxis Crystal…?"

He was still worrying about that?

"Of course you can! I already said you could so…nng…"

"Huh?"

"My foot's asleep."

"…Your…foot's asleep?" I heard humor in his voice and stared at him.

"Hey! It's not funny!"

"Heh…but it is…heh…funny…" then Genis burst out into a fit of giggles.

I felt my face heat up and knew that I was blushing…but wait…

I could feel it?

-------------------------

Genis' POV

Why was this so funny? I mean, peoples' feet fall asleep all the time! So why…?

Wait, if it had fallen asleep…how could he tell? Or was his Cruxis Crystal--much like Colettes--working to keep him from feeling any pain?

I stopped laughing and looked up at him. He was blushing but looking confused/shocked at the same time.

It made him look cute.

Really cute.

I shook my head, trying to get rid of those types of thoughts, which drew his attention to me, "What?"

"Um…how can you tell your…foot's asleep? I mean your Cruxis Crystal…"

"Helped me not feel anything, yes, but…I haven't worn it practically all day and all of last night either…though the fact that it's wearing off surprises Me."

"So…wait…wearing off?"

Mithos nodded his head; "Yes…I'm beginning to feel again…"

-----------------------------------------

Aprils POV

I smiled as I watched the two boys talk. They…were closer than I had originally thought. Though…that only made it so much cuter!

But did Raine know about their relationship?

I doubted it.

But should I tell her?

No.

That was out of the question. Her brother was old enough now to tell her things like that.

I smiled and went back to soaking the clothes in the bucket full of stream water.

Honestly though, this blood…it was inhuman…

I had tried to wash it from the boys' clothes about three times now and still…

It hasn't come out.

"Urgh…this is…so frustrating."

"Oh really now?"

I blinked and looked up.

Where had that voice come from?

It…sounded so familiar.

Almost like the voices that…had plagued my dreams from when…mother and father…died.

"Who…?"

"You don't recognize my voice do you? How sad. I really thought we were close but…I guess not…if you can't even tell who's voice it is…"

I froze

No

It couldn't be

"You…it can't be…"

"And what if it is."

There was a flash of black light, which momentarily blinded me, and then, once my vision cleared...

Standing there was a woman who was all too familiar to me.

She had green hair put up in a ponytail.

And her eyes…her eyes were the deepest shade of Amethyst.

"Pronyma…"

"Yes. I see you _do_ remember me." She then fell to her knees, "Ghh…dammit. That…that boy will pay…"

"What?"

"That boy--the one Mithos…"

"You mean Genis? Did he…?"

"Yes, he did this to me."

I stared at the wounded woman in front of me.

Her arm was bleeding profusely so was her left leg. There were multitudes of cuts on her face…and the strange outfit she was wearing…looked so…deshelved and part of it was non-existent.

"I…how…?"

"I don't know. But I do know that that boy has a tremendous power that…that…" she was cut off by a series of hacking coughs--which in turn actually made her cough up blood.

Blood…

No…she was going to die!

But she was evil! She was the one who did this to Genis!

But still…

"Here…I'll…I'll heal you."

She stared at me, "You'd--cough--really do that?"

I nodded my head, "Not all the way though…you need time to heal naturally like Genis does. But I can heal most of the wounds."

She nodded her head, "That would be appreciated."

Something…something in her voice unnerved me. I couldn't place what it was…maybe it was the hint of knowing-ness.

But what would she know?

"Fine then." I picked up my oak staff from its resting place next to a nearby tree and raised it above her, "I call upon thy divine powers, heal and restore thy wounded soul." I murmured, a light green glow surrounding the weakening Pronyma.

"There…"

"Thank you…" then she smirked,

And I wondered what in the name of Martel made me agree to heal her.

I knew that smirk anywhere.

It…

"I…you--"

"Tricked you? Hmm, I wonder." Then she smiled, and stood up, calling forth something into her hand.

When the object materialized I realized that it was that mirror piece I had seen when…

"Wait that's…"

"Genis brought this up from the bottom of the lake in Ymir forest didn't he?"

I nodded my head, "Yes…he did…but how did you know?"

"I was watching. But now I know…this is the missing piece…now all I have to do is activate it and see who the heir to the seal is."

"Heir to the s-seal…? What are you talking about?"

"You don't know a thing do you?"

"A thing about what?"

"Hmph, I don't see why I should tell you…but it seems that both Mithos--Lord Yggdrasill--and Raine have noticed."

"Notice…?"

"I'm wasting time." Pronyma growled before muttering, "Oh ancient Faor, Mage of Evils bane and loyal servant to Nifhliems King…grant me thy passage and release the mark of the Key!"

When she finished a black light emitted from the hand that held the shard of mirror. And, in turn the mirror piece was engulfed in horrible darkness, shining an eerie red color.

"Wh-What are you doing?"

"Hmph, you'll see…now I shall leave. It's not safe to watch from here, lest they see me."

And, just like that, she was gone.

------------------------------

Genis' POV

I groaned and leaned back against the head board, suddenly feeling very, _very_ tired.

But why?

All I had been doing for the past few minutes was trying to read something.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Genis?" Mithos asked, from his position leaning up against the side of the bed.

"I…don't know…I'm just sleepy."

"Well that's to be expected. You've had a rough day." He murmured, shifting once more. His foot had gained the ability to feel again…

But it was extremely sensitive.

"I…yeah…I have haven't I? Heh…I'm sorry…you came all the way here to see me and yet Im' falling asleep."

He shook his head, "No it's fine. Besides I…I think I've found something valuable."

"Valuable…?" I sat up, wondering what he had found in what he had read.

"It's about this 'Aqua Ore'. Ironically enough it's…it's made by melting the inhibitor ore with the Sacred Wood, as well as adding some type of…special metal to it."

"Really? That seems…really simple. I mean, I'm sure there's some Sacred Wood somewhere." I said, remembering that that was what Presea had done--bring Sacred Wood to the Tethe'alla Castle--before we had met up with her.

"I'm pretty sure Kratos was searching for some. It's used in the making of a certain type of ring that, well, let's a human wield the Eternal Blade."

"Ah--so he has some?"

"Yes. But we also have some in Derris Kharlan. Don't ask why…Pronyma confiscated it when Rodyles Ranch was destroyed."

"Ah…really?" So he had actually had some?

But then again he had been the one who told Presea to gather it for him.

"Yes. Now why it's called Aqua Ore…it seems the type of metal we need is actually made of minerals found only in the purest waters outside of Altimira. I can easily get someone to go there and find some of this said metal."

Altimira…wait…didn't we buy something there…?

"Wait! I think I might actually have something from there anyway!"

Mithos looked at me confused, "What?"

"I remember going there with Lloyd an' everyone as a kind of break from our journeying and buying something made out of some type of special metal…that's what the guy who sold it to me said."

"And where in Altimira did you buy this?"

"Oh…it was a night near the theater place."

"So you have it with you…?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah it should be in my bag unless—"

'_Genis!' _Ferals voice screamed out inside my head, cutting me off.

"Wha…?"

"Genis what's wrong?"

Oh great…my head…

"My head hurts…"

"Your head? Maybe you should lie down." He moves to get up but, if this is like it was last time…then…I could hurt him!

"No…! It's fine! Really! You don't have to get up!"

Now my vision was out of focus…

What was going on?

"Genis…?"

My head wouldn't stop pounding…

'_Genis! Please try to calm down it-it's the other me!' _Ferals voice was getting farther and father away…

I felt something, almost like a hand, clawing at my brain.

"Oww…it hurts…" I murmur, clutching my forehead, my free hand wringing the bedsheets.

"Genis! Hey! You really should lay down!"

When had I stood up?

And why was I even moving?

"I…It…"

"Genis!"

His voice was getting farther away.

-----------------------

Mithos' POV

What was going on? First Genis said he was sleepy, which was understandable, then he said his head hurt.

And now, despite the fact I'm telling him to sit down he's not…

And he told me to stay away from him…

"Genis…"

I could tell he wasn't listening.

I really didn't want to but if he didn't listen then…

"Genis! Hey!" I reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

Big mistake.

I felt myself being flung back across the room.

And I would have hit the far side wall if it hadn't been for the bed.

"Ghh…hey! Genis!"

I froze.

Yes it was Genis' body.

But the person…the person wasn't Genis.

Who…

Who was it?

"Genis…what did you do to him!"

"Do to him? Nothing."

I blinked.

Was that…a females voice?

"Who are you?"

-------------------------

**Me: **And that's Chapter/Part Twenty!

**Feral: **Who knew you could actually muster up enough dialogue for something that really shouldn't be this long?

**Me: **Oh hush. Besides, it's not like it's a bad thing (like I said in the beginning)! This is actually kinda sorta like a turning point in the story!

**Feral: **Sure it is.

**April: **Well…I kinda agree with her. I'll get a bigger part now! –smiles-

**Me: **Yes you will. Now then, R&R please! I love hearing from people!


	21. Control

**Me: **and here's Part/Chapter 21!

**April: **Yup! Here it is! -smiles-

**Me: **So it's your turn again?

**April: **-nods head-yup!

**To Understand: Part Twenty-One**

**Control**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: **

**Hiranieas-**Yes, Pronyma should probably die right about now shouldn't she? And yes, curse the other Feral for taking over poor lil' Genis. And…those are Genis and Mithos' Japanese names? Well, I knew kinda sort what Genis' was (since it's basically a play off of Genius) but I didn't know what Mithos' was…thanks for telling me in your review! Now here's the next Chapter, I hope ya like it!

**Nariko.Hoshi-**Yay! Another new reviewer! I'm so glad you like this! But...I'm the first one to write a fanfic with this pairing like this? I didn't know that but--hey, that's good right? Right! So here's then next Chapter--I hope you like it!

**Liu Barrowin**- -giggle- that sounds like something a narrator would say after a cartoon (along with the 'To Be Continued' thing). Will Pronyma have her way…? I wonder. Will Yuan do scary things to Kratos in his sleep? Most likely (if I decide to make them bi). And who's that mysterious woman who possessed Genis' body? You'll just have to find out! So here's the next Chapter--I hope you like it!

**Mizuki hikari-**Well, you ask me to continue…so I continue! Here's the next Chapter! I hope ya like it!

**Me: **Whew…last Chapter definitely didn't go as I had planned.

**April: **Well, no it didn't…you just decided to put my POV in there at the last minute…so now the 'Feral going out of control' thing is split to two chapters!

**Me: **Yeah…that basically sums it up, but hey! You're getting to be a bigger character in this!

**April: **Yeah I know but…how could Pronyma use my kindness like that? I mean she's my--

**Authors Notes: **-cough- that's enough April. Now then, like April said, the rest of the 'Feral going out of control' thing is in this chapter along with the battle (or should I say ending of the battle) with Origin. Hmm…I think I brought this up before but…would anyone care to guess who Feral is? Anyone? Oh come on it can't be that hard can it? Well…maybe it is but, I'd like to hear who people think she is (the part with the whole 'seal' thing in the last few chapters should've helped you out a bit and there's also some hints in this chapter too).

**April: **Oh yeah! Disclaimer time! Harmony283 doesn't own ToS…if she did…well…for one she'd be rich and for two she'd, well, get Mithos and Genis together an'…yeah bunches of stuff. But unfortunately that's just a well concocted dream…but she does, I'm happy to say, own me, and Feral, and the plot...so no suing and no stealing!

**Me: **…yeah…okay then, on with the chapter!

------------------------------

Raines POV

I watched as Lloyd, Zelos, Sheena and Presea ran forward into battle, Colette stood next to me, cheering them on.

But now all I could think about was if Genis was okay.

Maybe I really should have stayed behind like they said.

But…they might have needed me! Besides…April said she'd watch over him, and I wouldn't doubt her word.

But what was this strange feeling?

The feeling that Genis was in danger?

It was almost like his presence had just disappeared.

"Professor Raine…?" Colette asked from next to me, making me gasp, "Ah! Yes?"

"Are you…okay? I mean, um, you seem really…out of it…"

"Oh…ah…"

"You're worried about Genis aren't you?"

"It's that obvious?"

Colette nodded her head.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead, I hadn't meant for it to be that obvious…but…I couldn't help but worry about him.

He was, as far as I knew, my only family left. And I didn't…want him to get hurt as badly as he had.

And the fact that he had caused such an uproar among the people…among one of my old enemies…unnerved me.

I knew Fay, and what she was capable of.

She wouldn't put it past herself to harm someone.

Besides, since Genis was already hurt, she could pass it off as a wound April hadn't noticed.

My grip tightened momentarily on my oak staff, but I knew that I had to stay here.

Yes, Zelos was a healer, but he wasn't _that_ good of a healer.

I would have to step in at some point.

"Professor…" Colette murmured, her voice filled with concern.

I turned my gaze to hers and smiled, "Don't worry…I…I'm sure he's okay…"

"But if you want to go back I'm sure Lloyd and the others--"

"No. I'll stay here."

Colette flinched at the coldness in my voice. It pained me to see her do that but…she was such a compassionate person that…if I didn't say it like that she would have kept pressuring me until I agreed to go back.

Either that or she would have looked so sad that I would feel bad about staying.

She was good at that.

I sighed to myself and turned back to watch the battle at hand.

It seemed like we were winning, though, because of Lloyd and Sheenas rashness, Zelos had to continually heal…and he seemed to be tiring out.

Of course, Presea was more wary, and would notice this. She was currently standing back, distributing Pineapple Gels, among the other healing items, to herself as well as the others.

That's when I noticed that her left leg was bleeding profusely.

But it seemed Origin noticed this as well.

He managed to hold off Lloyd and Sheena and cast Thunder Arrow…oh wait…that wasn't good.

"Hey! Watch out!" Sheena noticed this first, and being the quicker of the four, rushed forward, pushing Presea out of the way.

But as an expsence, falling to the ground in a dead faint.

"Oh…Sheena!" Presea fumbled with the small bag of medicine and pulled out a Life Bottle. With it she limped forward and turned Sheenas figure over, pouring the mixture into her mouth.

"Th…Thank you…" Sheena murmured, sitting up and stretching, "Okay then! Origin! You'll pay for doing that!"

Presea just sat there, breathing hard. It seemed her wound was finally getting the best of her.

"Healing Stream!" Zelos called out, a gentle wind sweeping over her wounded form. Her leg seemed to momentarily heal, and she gave him a small smile.

"Thanks Zelos…" she picked up her ax and ran forward.

This made me smile.

Such teamwork…was rare…but everyone knew the importance of this fight.

Everyone knew that this pact had to be made.

Then I got that feeling again…

The cold shiver going down my spine.

Maybe it was maternal instincts that told me this.

But Genis…was in danger.

-------------------------------

Mithos' POV

"Who…are you?"

Genis…no…the person who had taken over Genis' body, smirked, "And who are you to ask for my name?"

…Okay…what's with people who aren't Lloyd acting like Lloyd? That's just creepy.

"And who are you to take over Genis' body!"

"Hmm…so you really do care for this boy don't you? Well then, I'll make sure nothing bad happens to his body…as for his conciousness…I can't say too much for that…"

I blinked.

Wait…was she going to get rid of him…by…

"What? You can't do that!"

"Oh yes I can."

"But…how can you…no one…not even my sister could do that!"

"So? Your sister was a half-elf…I am not."

"Then what are you?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out, boy."

Now she was sounding like Yuan.

"Grr…let him go…"

"Oh no! What are you going to do? You can't very well attack me since you'd really be hurting Genis…so what, are you going to glare at me?"

I opened my mouth to say more, but suddenly the door opened, "Genis, Mithos is everything--oh…"

It was April.

And she looked absolutely horrified.

And angry.

"April…?"

"Mithos, what h-happened…? Genis…are you okay?"

"Hmm, oh, you must be April."

April just stared at him, eyes widening in shock.

"You aren't Genis!"

"Fah, good guess. Now if you excuse me, I'm looking for something."

"Looking for something?"

"Yes. And it requires me to go outside…and you're in the way."

The woman controlling Genis' body lifted a hand and a black ball of energy formed there, "Unless you would like to die, I suggest you move."

April complied, moving out of the way quickly with her head bowed.

As 'Genis' walked by her she murmured something, which caused her to freeze.

"What did you say dearie?" Her tone was thick with fake sweetness. It made me want to gag.

"I…I said…'what are you looking for'." April said, her voice held fear but…oddly enough a sense of knowing-ness, like she knew what the woman was looking for.

"Oh? You really want to know?" Now amusement made itself known in the womans voice.

April gulped and opened her mouth, trying to form words but was unable to under 'Genis'' harsh gaze.

"Yes, I would to know." 'Genis' turned towards me and stared, a wicked smile forming.

Gods…that…didn't look right on Genis' face. Genis was gentle, kind--if not a bit sarcastic and pessimistic at times--but still…that smile wasn't one that should be on an innocent face like Genis'.

"Hmm, I guess I could tell you…it's not like you'll live that long anyway…"

'she' giggled, which yet again sounded weird coming from Genis throat, and then sighed, "I'm looking for a mirror shard."

I blinked.

Why would someone…with such an evil aura want…a fragment of a mirror?

April gasped and then it hit me.

When Genis had fallen into the water earlier today…he had brought a piece of a mirror up with him and…seemed to want to hold onto it.

Is this why? Did he somehow know that this woman was controlling him and that she would want that piece of mirror?

Aprils face saddened, "Oh…well…I don't think you'll find it here."

Wait…it sounded like she knew something…

"Oh really now? And why wouldn't it be here? That man…my 'seal' threw it in the waters of the Ymir forest twelve years ago…yes it might be a bit muddy but…why wouldn't it still be there?" She sounded generally confused.

And somewhat innocent at the same time.

April flinched, "Ah…because…I…just don't…"

"Well there's no harm in checking right? Besides, it's no harm to me anyway."

Wait…did she say what I just thought she said?

"But wait--you're going to make Genis go down there and search for you?"

"Oh my, you sound worried. What's wrong?"

"Don't…don't you know that…humans have to breathe in order to live?"

Don't tell me she didn't even know that?

Or wait…she never said she was 'human' but then…what would she be?

"Oh really? Breathing's so outdated. But yes, I suppose you're right. Kloitz never could be underwater for long without coming up for air…so this boy is the same way?"

"Not just Genis…_everyone_ needs to breathe air in order to live--well, except fish but…how could you not know that?" April whispered, shying away immediately afterwards.

"I don't know it because I've never had to do that." Then she giggled again, though this time it was bitter sounding, "And to think, I used to live in a world like this…freely…gods, why did Kloitz have to go and die on me?"

A dark aura surrounded her, "And why did he have to seal me--and Feral--in that god forsaken mirror piece when he didn't even know where the whole damn thing was?"

I flinched, her power was increasing and…it almost had a stench to it.

It was getting hard to breathe.

"So you're trapped in a fragment of a mirror?"

The woman nodded her head, "Yes, yes I am."

"A-and you n-need to find that piece to…free yourself…?"

"Not exactly. I need to find that piece of mirror, keep it with me, and then go to where the whole mirror is."

"What would you do if someone was…I-in…p-possession…of that mirror?"

Now even I was starting to wonder what April was getting at.

Or rather, what she knew that we didn't know.

"Why I'd either kill them, if they didn't hand it over, or if they did…hmm, that's a good question…"

"A-Ah…I-I s-s-see…"

"Oh, and after I find the real mirror then…then I'll wait for the new seal to come along…"

"And what would you do then?"

"Ask them to break the mirror of course! That way I'd be free!"

"B-But…couldn't anyone accidentally break the mirror?"

"Hmm, maybe, well, yes, since it's obviously just a plain mirror and mirrors can break."

"A-And what…would happen to them…?"

"Oh, if they knew who I was, and asked me to work under them, then I'd just kill them."

April flinched again, holding back a sob as she practically cowered in the corner.

"Now if you'll excuse me…" 'Genis' turned to leave.

And would have.

But something stopped 'her'.

A bright red glow, that is.

Then I remembered.

He had my Cruxis Crystal.

"What's this now…? Is this a Cruxis Crystal?" the woman asked, bringing the crystal out to look at it.

"How unique…it looks nothing like Ferals…"

"Feral?"

'Genis' smirked and turned her hand upside down, "Oh well, this is useless to me…"

The same black aura from a few seconds ago surrounded her once again as she murmured some words under her breath.

Then she stopped, mid sentence, and gasped.

"Wh-what…?"

I blinked.

Now her voice sounded like a mix between Genis' voice and hers.

"Stop…it…" now it was Genis' voice.

"Grr…I thought I…had complete control…" now it was that womans voice.

"Get out of my…body." Genis'

"No…gah…what's…this…why am I…?"

"Don't destroy that…it was a gift…"

"Why should I care what you…ghh…want…" the womans voice was getting weaker.

"Because…I…order you…to…stop it!" Genis voice was louder now.

I watched in amazement as…that black aura seemed to sink into his skin, then it all out disappeared.

"I…what…happened…?" Genis asked, his body wavering.

I ran forward just in time to catch him.

"Are you okay, Genis?"

Genis looked up at me, and relief flooded through me.

"Oh gods…don't do that again…" I murmured, completely ignoring the fact that April was there, and watching us, leaning down and placing a chaste kiss to his forehead.

Genis smiled, "I…she didn't…destroy it did she…? The…Your…Cruxis…C-Crystal…"

"No…she didn't."

"Th-That's good…I…it was a present…you gave it to me s-so…it's…important."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up.

It was April.

And she was smiling.

"You…must be tired after that…ordeal. Why don't you rest?"

"But…"

"Don't worry, you're safe now." She giggled and then turned to me, "And just to insure his safety, Mithos will stay here until you wake up, okay?"

Genis smiled, "You…You'd do that…Mithos…? But what about my sister…and Lloyd…? If they see you…their enemy…then they'll…"

"I don't care about that right now. The most important thing to me is making sure you're better."

Genis sighed in relief and snuggled up closer to me, letting out a soft purr before saying, "Okay…"

I lifted his sleeping form up off the floor and moved over to the bed.

April watched as I slid Genis under the covers and tucked him in.

I then straightened up and turned to her.

She just smiled and said, "I…guess I have a lot to answer for don't I?"

----------------------------

**Me: **And that's the end of Chapter/Part Twenty-One!

**April: **It…seems like it…though…I'm going to have to be interrogated in the next Chapter…aren't I?

**Feral: **Of course you are! I mean, you just let on that you may know about the location of the missing mirror piece that woman is looking for _and_ you seem to somehow know that someone's in possession of that mirror. And let's just forget the fact that Mithos is suspicious of you.

**Me: **…Ah…you're back.

**Feral: **Yes I'm back and I'm angry…I didn't have a part in this chapter, like, at all! -glares at me-

**Me + April: **-gulps-um…I guess not…?

**Feral: **I guess not is right! -stomps off-

**April: **Well she's certainly, um, angrier than normal -blink, blink-

**Me: **Uh…well…anyway…R&R please! I love hearing from people!


	22. Fate of Heimdall I

**Me: **And here's Part/Chapter Twenty-Two!

**Feral: **Yes…and do I show up at all in this chapter?

**Me: **Well…I think you might have a speaking part…somewhere…

**To Understand: Part Twenty-Two**

**Fate of Heimdall I**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: 5**

**Mizuki hikari-**Yes, thank god for the Cruxis Crystal. If Mithos hadn't given it to him then something bad could have happened. Oh, and it also plays another role (similar to this one though not really) in a later chapter –cough- anyways, I'm glad you think this is getting more interesting and here's the next Chapter! I hope you like it!

**Hiranieas-**You know all their names? Well…since you do can you tell me Zelos' and Yuans names? I'm just curious as to what they are…hmm…and you _really_ want to kill Pronyma now don't you? I don't blame you…but unfortunately she's going to have to live through at _least_ two more chapters (I think). Well, putting that aside, here's the next Chapter, I hope ya like it!

**Liu Barrowin-**Ah yes, the comeback of cheesy soap opera announcers…ugh…my mom watches _way_ to many of those for my liking…-cough- And yeah, I like YuanXKratos too…though it doesn't look like it'll be showing up much in this fanfic (it might) since I'm planning on –cough-revivingMartel-cough-but eh, I might. But yeah, Mithos/YggdrasillXGenis is _still _my #1 pairing. Now then, here's the next Chapter—I hope you like it!

**Nady-Kun-**Yes Genis was going shizo on us, ugh, that reminds me of the movie _Sybil _for some reason –shudders- that movie disturbed me to no end –cough-. Ah, and no it wasn't the Feral that normally talks in Genis' head. But it also wasn't exactly an entirely different person. It's like they're the same…but different at the same time (like twins except one looks _way_ older than the other does)…okay…that made no sense whatsoever. But yeah, just wait until it comes up…it should be at least _somewhat_ clearer. But yeah, Genis and Mithos fluff…it's so much fun to write! Good thing April already knew about them being 'together' or else she would have been _very_ confused (she's somewhat dense at times). Well, here's the next Chapter—I hope you like it!

**DraNKa**-Yeah…it is kinda hard to see Mithos act so…yeah…but I don't think I'd be able to say anything either if the person I cared about suddenly got possessed by someone like Genis did. ****

Me: Part Twenty-Two is finally up!

**Feral: **Yes…hmm…

**Me: **What are you thinking about?

**Feral: **Just the usual. Now, shouldn't I be doing the disclaimer?

**Me: **Actually, yeah, you are…so yeah, go ahead.

**Feral: **Harmony283 doesn't own Tales of Symphonia. Like April said in the last Chapter, if she did she'd be insanely rich and she wouldn't have to write fanfiction to get what she wants--she could _make_ it happen. But since that's all not reality, and it most likely never will be, let's focus on what she does own…me, April and the plot.

**Me: **Ah…yeah…that's good

**Feral: **Hmm…yes…

**Authors Note: **…you're starting to scare me…-cough- anyway…yeah, like the title says (how many times have I used that line?) this is the beginning of when Heimdall gets destroyed. -cough- okay so it doesn't get destroyed but…yeah, it makes you think 'what's going to happen to Heimdall'? right? Right. Basically in this Chapter Lloyd and Co. finish their battle with Origin and head back. Meanwhile Mithos questions April. Oh, and did I mention that Pronyma shows up again?

------------------------

Lloyds POV

"Fierce Demon Fang!"

"Demon Spear!"

"Cyclone Seal!"

"Infinite Punishment!"

Origin fell to his knees and smiled, "I see…you are…worthy…of my power…"

Finally…now we could use the Eternal Sword to reunite the two worlds.

"There is one thing I must tell you though."

I blinked and looked up at him, "And that would be?"

"Yes you should be able to get near the Eternal Sword but…you will not be able to use it since you do not have elven blood in your veins."

"That's what the Aionis is for, right?"

"Yes…but even with the Aionis you will still have to form your own pact with it and use your own strength to form a bond with it."

Wow, this was way more complicated than I had thought.

"And Mithos isn't dead."

And Kratos just _had_ to point that out didn't he?

"Yes, that's true." Origin whispered, a hint of…was it anger or regret…in his voice.

"But…what're we going to do then? I mean, I'm not sayin' we have no chance of beatin' the guy but…from my time at the Research Academy I'm pretty sure you can't make a pact with a Summon Spirit—sword—thingie if it's already bound to someone…right?" 

"That's correct."

"But we need the sword!" Dammit all! Why did things always have to be this hard! And we're finally at the end of our journey to!

"Maybe the Elf Elder knows more about this…?" Presea said, and that's when I noticed she was leaning on her ax…did she get that badly wounded during battle?

"Yes…he must know at least _something_ about what we can do." Raine whispered, holding her staff tightly.

She looked worried.

Really, _really_ worried.

"Professor Sage is right. Besides…it looks like someone is…worried over the well being of her brother." Kratos said in a slightly more sympathetic tone than he usually used. But there was also an underlying tone to it…but I couldn't place it.

It was almost like he knew something we didn't. But what could he know that he wasn't telling us? I mean, it's not like he knows exactly what happened to Genis. He was fighting with us so…

"Ah, well, yes, I am…worried." Raine whispered, looking back through the forest her eyes filled with concern.

"Well okay then, let's get back. Besides, you need healing too." I said, motioning to both Presea and Kratos who merely nodded their heads.

---------------

Aprils POV

"I guess I have a lot to answer for?"

"Yeah…you do." Mithos said, his eyes showing suspicion and yet curiosity and worry at the same time.

I guess I had no choice but to tell him…at least a little bit.

I mean, he told me why he came here, which was to help/ask Genis about ressurecting his sister a 'different way'. So what's fair is fair, right?

But then it made me wonder…if he knew that I had healed…the very woman that had caused Genis to be in so much pain…

What would he think?

He'd probably be angry but what would he do?

The fact that I was standing in front of both the leader of Cruxis and the Desians--but the very person who split the world into two all those centuries ago--according to Raine--slightly unnerved me.

"Well?" Mithos asked, tucking strands of his soft yellow hair behind his ear, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Ah…well…where should start…?"

"I guess you could start at how come Raine left you in charge of Genis' care. I don't even know that much, though Genis told me that you knew Raine so…"

I smiled and closed my eyes, "Yes, I do know Raine. Back…before she was abandoned, her and her parents lived here. Though it was hard on Raine because she was one of the only half-elves in the village." I sighed, hoping that Raine would forgive me for telling her past to her enemy.

Hopefully he wouldn't use it as black mail.

That would be bad.

I looked back at the boy and he seemed…stunned.

"So…they were…abandoned?" he turned to look at Genis, a look of pure sadness adorning his features. And yet again I had to wonder: Was this really 'Lord Yggdrasill'? He didn't seem like it at all.

"Yes…they were. Ah, but when she lived here…well…one day a group of elven kids, led by a girl named Fay, decided to run her out of the village…and if she wouldn't leave then they'd play horrible tricks on her until she did. And…well…Raine wouldn't leave. She just said she wanted to go back to where her mom lived."

"So their father wasn't present at the time?"

"That's right. I hardly ever saw him either. Apparently he worked under the king or something like that…but…well, when Raine tried to get home they started casting novice spells and the like on her and to save some time I'll just say that she was wounded…severely."

"how…severely?"

"Even now she still has internal scars…she might not be able to have children because of how many lightning attacks were cast on her."

"Ah--I…go on."

"Yes…well, luckily back then…my parents…were still remotely…well off. Ah, well, at least my father--who was relatively young compared to my mother--was. And since he had taught me a few healing arts I…was able to save her. Though I…have never done something as scary as standing up to those…people in my entire life." I smiled sadly, "And they _still_ hate me for it."

"I can see why. Half-elves aren't accepted most places…especially here. Though I can say that has some to do with me, and that Cruxis Crystal Research we did a few hundred years ago…"

He spoke of that incident so…_casually_ that I just had to flinch. He noticed this and looked at me curiously. Then his face paled, "Ah…your parent's were part of that weren't they…?"

I nodded my head, "Yes…they were. But I was lucky, neither died for some time afterwards and were able to conceive me…before they died." I smiled sadly and Mithos nodded his head. He seemed indecisive for a moment before saying, "I…can't really…say I'm sorry for that since it had been Pronymas idea to begin with--she was relatively new to Cruxis at that time. So I can't really do much about it…I can only say that I didn't know who your parents were." 

"That's…true. It's not like you could have done anything regardless. After all, I wasn't even born then so…"

"I couldn't have known you. And even if you had been alive then…I probably wouldn't have cared." He seemed…cold as he said this. And even though it was harsh I knew he was right…but wait, did that mean that if it happened now he could have--?

"Wait…do you mean that if something like that happened now you would--?"

"I'd probably think about it in deapth…and that's thanks to Genis. He…believes in Lloyd and…apparently Lloyd would want a world where everyone can live together equally. Though that seems hard to believe from the way things are," he laughed dryly, "Especially with the rise of Cruxis, which is almost completely made up of half-elves…hah, Genis was right…we're really just making people, especially humans, hate us even more."

Well, I couldn't exactly disagree with that. From what I had learned over the past few days that made perfect sense.

A soft moan could be heard coming from the bed.

That obviously meant Genis was waking up…

Mithos quickly rushed over to his bedside, leaning down and whispering, "Ah…Genis?"

-----------------------------

Mithos POV

"Ah…Genis?" I whispered, kneeling down at his bedside. He smiled tiredly, his eyes looked unfocused, but that was expected. He must be dead tired after everything that happened to him. He really should just get one full day of sleep.

Not that that was going to happen any time soon.

Especially with the way things were now.

"H-hey Mithos…um…I…wasn't a-asleep for very long…was I?"

I shook my head, "No you weren't. So…why don't you go back to sleep? I'll be right here, and April's here too so you don't have to worry about anything."

Genis smiled, "A-ah…yeah I know…it's just…" he cut himself off by yawning, which made me smile, "See? You're tired…get some sleep."

"I…said the same thing to Raine…once…"

"Really? Well you can tell us about that when you get more rest." April said, coming up behind me. It still made me uncomfortable being in her presence.

I really should ask her about it.

I mean, she reminds me of Pronyma…and yet she's nothing like her.

"Nnn…I g-guess…but…"

"But?" we asked in unison

He smiled at this and giggled; though it caught in his throat and turned into another yawn. When he was finished he, subconsciously, snuggled back into the blankets. Though he withdrew one hand from the warmth of the blankets and grasped my hand.

"Hmm…? Yes…?"

"I…please…I want you to stay here…" 

I smiled, "Of course I will. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Good…because…I…want you to be the first thing I see when I wake up…" he murmured, his voice getting softer and softer as he fell deeper and deeper asleep.

He finally closed his eyes and snuggled up against the pillow, still keeping a firm grip on my hand.

April giggled from next to me and I turned to her, giving her a questioning look. She just smiled and said, "You two are so cute together…" 

This made me blush.

And yet again I felt the warmth.

The warmth I thought I had lost all those years ago.

When it only laid dormant because of my Cruxis Crystal.

"Ah…um…uh…" 

April giggled again, "Oh don't worry I won't tell! I'll…just go outside and I'll tell you when Raine and the others get back."

But I still needed to ask her something.

"Wait a sec…"

"Hmm?" She turned back around and looked at me curiously.

"I've been meaning to ask…well, I mean, I don't think you told me everything…"

Her face paled considerably, "Ah…well…I…yes, you're right I haven't but…what else do you want to know?"

Well at least she wouldn't all out deny me answers.

"Well…there's something that's been bothering me since I first met you…"

"And that would be?"

"Well, you…remind me of someone."

She looked confused, "What?"

I sighed, "It confuses me too. You don't act a thing like her and yet…your aura is kind of the same."

"R-really? And…who would this person be?"

"Her name is…well, I think I mentioned her, her names Pronyma."

April seemed freeze.

She looked so scared just then.

But…why?

It was just a simple question, right?

"I…what…?" Her voice was just a mere whisper, it didn't seem like she could make it any louder.

"I want to know why your aura is like hers. Did you two know each other when you were younger?"

"Um…well…how would I…?"

"Like Raine, and like myself, she too grew up here and then left. I'm thinking, since you said that you were young when your parents died…she might have come back to see how the experiement was doing and she could have run into you or you could have talked."

She was dead silent.

"Well?"

"Um…I think I might have…" she seemed worried, and overly careful in her choice of words.

So she was hiding something.

Did she think I'd hold it against her if she was good friends to her?

Something told me that that wasn't the reason.

-----------------------------------

Aprils POV

Oh gods…how could I answer that?

Why did he even ask me that?

I…

What could I say?

Yes, I couldn't deny the fact that he seemed suspicious of me but…that was the reason? But if I told him the truth he'd think I'd go to her side immediately!

Besides, who wouldn't?

Especially when she was my--

My thoughts were cut off as I heard someone shouting from outside.

I blinked and looked up out the window. I saw…wait…was that Raine?

Oh great…they're back already?

"Oh…it's Raine and…Lloyd…"

Mithos' eyes widened, "Crap. I can't let them see me! They'd think I was--"

"I'll take care of it! I'll say that Genis is sleeping and that he needs to rest for the rest of the day so…she won't bug him if she hears that."

He nodded his head, "Okay…I'll just, um, stay here then…"

"Yes and try not to stand near any windows…"

He nodded his head again, "Right." 

I rushed out of the room, grabbing my staff along the way, to greet them, "Raine! Everyone! I'm glad to see you're okay!" 

Then I noticed that two others were with them.

One had aqua hair down to his shoulders, held up in a makeshift ponytail, and the other had spiky reddish brown hair and…he must be Lloyds father.

Well he certainly looked young.

But then again, so did Mithos and he was four thousand years old.

"April! How's Genis?" Lloyd and Raine asked at the same time.

I smiled, "Oh…he's sleeping now. I don't think it's a good idea to bother him. He needs more than a full day of rest so…"

Raine nodded her head, "Ah…I see…"

"I guess that means the brat--I mean Genis--won't be comin' with eh?"

I nodded my head, "Yes, it would be best not to move him…" 

Raine sighed, "Well I don't really feel safe leaving him here. But…I guess with you watching him and with the Elders permission he'll be fine."

I nodded my head again then I noticed that two others were hurt.

"I see…you two need healing?" I looked over at Raine curiously.

Why hadn't she healed them herself?

Then again, she probably was too worried to concentrate.

"Yes…it seems I got wounded during the fight with Origin." Presea said, showing now emotion in her voice.

"And I…"

"You're Origins seal, right?"

He nodded his head.

"I'm surprised you're still alive…but that's good. Okay then, I'll heal you both."

I raised my staff into the air, and murmured a few words.

A green glow emitted from my staff and flowed into the two.

Their wounds, and exhaustion, disappeared and they smiled.

"Ah…thank you…"

"Yes. Thank you."

I nodded my head and smiled, "Now then…what will you be doing next?"

"I now what I will be doing."

I froze.

That voice.

Pronyma…

"Pronyma! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hmm…just retreiveing something." She said, her tone cocky.

She still had the mirror shard in her hand.

"What…what is that?" Raine asked, slightly horrified.

"A dark power surrounds it…" Kratos murmured, staring at the object in a mix of horror and curiosity.

"Why yes, there should be a dark aura coming from this. Especially since this, in an essence is a form of evil--or pain."

"But what are you planning on using that for?" Sheena asked, glaring at the woman…

and I couldn't even speak, much less move.

Gods…

And I was the only one who knew what she was going to use that for.

But wait…did I really?

She said before she was looking for a key.

Or the next 'heir to the seal'.

But Genis had stopped that…woman…or whatever that person was that controlled him, before she could do any real harm.

Wait…did that mean…

Did that mean that Genis was--

"No…you can't…"

Pronyma turned to me, as did everyone else.

"And why not?" she asked, a smirk playing across her lips, which in turn just made her look even more evil.

I…didn't like that at all.

What had happened?

She used to…be so kind.

But then again, she had already been with Cruxis so…it had all been an act.

"B-because…don't you think you've…hurt that boy enough?"

"And what's one more hurt? Besides I can't stand that boy--Genis--anyway." She turned to look at the inn behind her, "And I'm assuming he's still in there," Her tone darkened, "And I'm sure Lord Yggdrasill--Mithos--is still with him."

I gulped, feeling all eyes turning to me.

"Mithos is here?"

"Why?"

"How did he get here?"

"And what if he still is?"

"Hmm…well, he won't be too happy when I kidnap the boy again."

"No he won't."

How could we continue with this light conversation? She could possibly kill the boy…

Then the door to the inn opened.

And Genis walked out.

"Sis--wha--Pronyma!" He stepped back, fear taking over his features immediately. Obviously Mithos, who had been hiding somewhere out of view, heard this and stepped in front of him.

"What are you doing here Pronyma?"

His tone was acidic. His face was emotionless.

Now I could see why he was the leader of such a horrible organization.

"I should be asking you the same, Lord Yggdrasill. After all why would you be spending your time with someone like that when you have other plans in store? Or are you just plain giving up on ever reviving Martel?"

I watched as Mithos' hand balled into a tight fist. And yet, he was still keeping control over his emotions.

"Because…there just so happens to be another way that Genis took the time to research." Even though his tone was meant to be cold, when he said the other boys' name there was a hint of warmth and caring entwined in it.

And Raine seemed to notice this to.

"Oh really now? And what makes you think he has a better way? You've been doing it your way for four thousand years--"

"And like Genis said, it hasn't worked once. So why wouldn't I try a new way?"

Everyone seemed surprised by this.

Even I was. I never remembered Genis saying that while he was here…but then again, the two boys were extremely close so this was obviously not the first time they met when they weren't supposed to.

Pronyma was shocked, and then her visage turned to angry.

"I see. Hmm, well, I guess I should get what I came for and leave. You've always told me never to dwaddle in any task, no matter how unimportant it seems." Her voice was calm and collected. The only thing giving away her anger was the shine in her eyes.

She moved forward quickly, and before anyone, even Mithos, could stop her.

She had grabbed Genis and teleported back to where she had originally been standing.

Even Genis hadn't the time to react.

"Wha--ahh! Let go of me!" Genis was…freaking out, his eyes were huge and dialated. He…looked and sounded so afraid.

"Pronyma…let…him…go." Mithos said, walking forward at an eerily slow pace.

"Hmm, I don't think I want to." She then smirked, "After all, who knew the one that found this," she indicated the mirror piece in her hand, "Would be the one who could actually contain the person, or should I say people, trapped inside?"

"What?"

So I had been right. He _was_ the 'heir'. But…that meant that, if what that weird woman had said during that time she had taken over Genis' body then…

Pronyma was going to make Genis break that mirror and unleash that…power…

And that wasn't good.

If the woman took over Genis' body at full power the boy could die!

Did…Pronyma really want that?

No…that was a stupid question. She was the cause of her own families' death. Why would she care about this boy?

But still, I couldn't let her get away with it!

Besides, I was closer to her anyway.

And Mithos didn't seem to be moving. He was obviously wrapped up in his own thoughts.

I sighed, "Well it looks like it's my turn to be brave again…" and stepped forward.

Pronyma seemed shocked and, in that one moment, let go of Genis.

To which I quickly grabbed him and pulled him close.

"Wha--give him back!" Pronyma growled, stepping forward.

I just stepped back and shook my head, "And why would I do that? You'll obviously kill him…if you take him."

"I…" Pronyma seemed at a loss for words.

"Do you have any idea what will happen to you if you don't hand the boy over?"

"Well you made it known that you don't care about killing someone. So, why can't you just kill me?" I smiled, "I mean, I'm in your way aren't I? If you kill me then you get the boy."

She seemed horrified at this.

Well, that was good. She really did have a heart.

If she can play the guilt game, then so can I.

"You…"

"I…what's one more death to you anyway?"

"Give…him…back." Her voice had a deadly ring to it.

And to say I was scared would be a lie but…

I wasn't going to give in that easily.

"You…you…" 

"I what? Just give him back." Her tone was biting. It made tears well up in my eyes.

"You showed that you didn't care about killing anyone when you caused the death of…"

"April!" I heard Raine whisper, she obviously didn't want me to die.

"I'm okay Raine. But…you, Pronyma, showed your cruelties. You…caused the death of your own parents."

Pronyma glared at me.

"So? What does this have to do with this. Now give the boy back!" Her tone was rising and I knew I was getting to her.

"You…killed our mother…so…why can't you kill me? Your half-sister?"

----------------------------

**Me: **And that's Part Twenty-two! With another dramatic cliffhanger!

**April: **please, please, _please_ tell me I'm still gonna be alive after this? -pleading eyes-

**Me: **Uh…-sweatdrop/cough- I can't really say…

**Feral: **Not that it'd make much difference if you were gone or not.

**April: **You…meanie! Of course it matters! -runs off crying-

**Me: **Okay…you didn't need to be _that_ mean Feral.

**Feral: -**shrug- but it's the truth.

**Me: **Ugh…whatever. Now anyway, R&R! I love hearing from people!


	23. Fate of Heimdall II

**Me: **And here's Part Twenty-three!

**April: **-sniff- um…I'm not gonna die right…? -sniff-

**Me: **-pats Aprils back-don't worry, you'll just have to wait and see

**April: **O-okay…it's not like you'll make me die anyway…

**To Understand: Part Twenty-three**

**Fate of Heimdall II**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: (with 75 reviews and 2359 hits!)**

**Alaia Skyhawk-**And yet another new reviewer! Yay! I'm glad you liked the chapter—and don't worry about being busy…it happens to all of us (besides I think I update a little fast for some people to actually review) but yeah! Thanks for the review! And here's the next Chapter! I hope ya like it!

**DraNKa-**That's great that you thought it'd turn out like this! I was actually trying to make it so the readers already knew the relationship between April an' Pronyma two (or was it three?) chapters ago. And yeah, everyone's basically like 'WTF' 'huh' (in Lloyds case) or 'I…can't believe it…but they _do_ look alike' (wonder who says that?) Well, anyway, thanks for the review and here's the next Chapter! Enjoy!

**Liu Barrowin-**Yes things are getting tense…very tense. But…you have computer access during lunch hour at your school? We don't…I just got lucky and woke up early in the morning so I could update…-cough- not that that matters now or anything so…here's the next Chapter! I hope ya like it!

**Mizuki hikari-**Yes a shocking discovery (unless you already knew of course) and yeah, I was kinda trying to make it obvious…so…yeah. Anyways, here's the next Chapter! Enjoy!

**Hiranieas-**Ah…so those are their names in Japanese? Well, it figures that Yuans' name'd stay the same. There's always at least one character in any Japanese made game whose name doesn't change…but yeah! I'm glad you liked the chapter and yes, Pronyma will die and yes, Mithos will kill her. As for when…ah, I can't really say. Well, here's the next Chapter: Enjoy!

**Viaroura Fox-**Hmm, I wonder, is April going to die? You'll just have to read and find out! And yes, Genis is pretty freaked out but he's…very calm about it. And as for everyone else…hmm, I wonder…how will they take it? Well, you'll just have to read an' find out that too! And here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

**  
Me: **Well did anyone think last Chapter went as planned?

**April: **Well yeah, kinda. But the title was misleading -sniff-

**Me: **But see the 'II' in the title for this Chapter? Well, that's cuz this is still a continuation of last Chapter.

**April: **Well that makes sense; I'll do the disclaimer now. Harmony283 doesn't own ToS…Namco does. But she does own Feral, me and the plot. Thought the fact that she owns me is now scary

**Me: **Oh come on! It can't be that bad!

**April: **Oh it is when your life is on the line.

**Authors Note: **Well -cough- I guess so…uh, anyway. In this chapter…uh…I can't really say much without spoiling it but I can say that this is a continuation of the next Chapter--meaning this is when Heimdall gets destroyed. How you ask? Well why don't you read and find out?

-------------------------

Genis' POV

I stared up at the woman holding me.

She was an elf, and yet she was kind to us.

She was Raines childhood friend

And…she was…

Pronymas sister?

That seemed so…so…I couldn't find the word for it. I couldn't rightly believe it. But she had said it herself.

Wow, this meant so much more than just protecting me.

_'Yes, it does mean much more, Genis.' _

So Feral was back?

_'Yes I'm back…though it's painful…that woman wants my other self to wake up…and…I'm sure you already know how deadly that is. Since she got out before she can get out again. I…I…' _Feral sounded so scared that it even scared me.

But she was right about one thing.

If her 'alter ego' comes out then…something bad definitely would happen.

When she had taken over, not even an hour ago, I had felt like my insides were being torn out.

But just as quickly as that sensation had come…it had left when she…was about to destroy Mithos' Cruxis Crystal.

His gift to me.

I still had it with me. But since I didn't need it anymore--since we already knew where and what the Aqua ore was--which was in a pendant I had bought in Altimira--I could give it back.

That is…if I ever got a chance to.

And right now definitely wasn't the time to.

"I…don't…care about that…" but Pronyma didn't sound convincing.

"If you don't then why don't you kill me? This boy is important for what you're…going to do next so why are you taking your time?"

"Because I--"

"You said it yourself that you didn't want to dawdle, especially since you don't need to…" April seemed twice as sad as she said this. I could hear the fear in her voice, but…she still wasn't backing down.

Now I wished I could see the looks on my friends' faces.

They were probably stunned/shocked out of belief.

But then again we all should be used to this by now shouldn't we?

I mean, it happens all the time.

_'Well yes, it does. But no one we know that's evil is truly evil. Yuan is the Renegade leader, so he's fighting against Cruxis, Kratos, well, he's been helping Lloyd out from the beginning so he definitely isn't evil…and Mithos has saved you countless numbers of times so, even though he's the leader of Cruxis, even he isn't all together bad.'_

That made a lot of sense.

And that outright just scared the crap out of me.

Since when did anyone agree with the voice in their head?

_'Hey!'_

"Pronyma…" I snapped away from my thoughts at the sound of Mithos' voice.

"You stay out of this. If you don't then--"

"You aren't strong enough to kill me, Pronyma. Both you and I know that." His tone was icy, it sent chills down my spin.

I hated it when he was like this. But I knew he had to be. This was, after all, a life or death kind of situation.

"Yes but I am stronger than I was last time."

"Hmm, really? I don't really care to test that out, because, as you can see, we're in the middle of a village…full of elves…need I say more?"

Pronyma seemed to suddenly realize this.

How ironic that I hadn't noticed either.

I mean, the elves were just staring at us now.

It'd only be a matter of time before the village elder would get here.

_'And there goes all your chances of ever being allowed back in this village again.' _

I really didn't need Feral to point that out to me.

_'But it's the truth.'_

And I knew that.

"No I don't believe you do need to say more." Pronyma turned back to face April and me.

"Now April, out of the goodness of my heart--and the fact that you're my younger sister and I won't deny that--if you give me that boy without hesitation I will not kill you."

"And if I don't give him to you?"

"You know the answer to that question already, now don't you?"

_'Of course she does! The penalty is death! And I'm pretty sure she has a small chance of actually surviving one of Pronymas attacks so that's near definite if she just swings an attack at her.'_

Gee, I really didn't need to know that. I mean, who wants to know if their only means of protection is technically as weak as an average human?

_'Well I was just stating the statistics' _

Statistics I didn't need to know…

"April…please don't do this…" Raine whispered from somewhere behind us. She sounded so scared and worried. And I'm sure she wasn't just worried over my well being, but Aprils as well. I mean, who wanted their close friend to die? Much less watch them die right in front of their--and their younger brothers--eyes?

I looked up when I felt something warm and wet fall on my head.

April was crying.

"Hmph…so you really won't hand him over, will you?"

"No…I won't."

And even though tears were falling from her eyes, her voice never wavered, and her expression was firm.

"Fine then."

And with those words said, Pronyma released the ball of evil energy towards us.

April quickly moved so that her back was facing the oncoming attack, blocking me entirely.

I heard the attack dissipate when it hit something and expected to hear April scream out in pain.

But I didn't.

Instead I heard Raine.

Wait…Raine…?

Extra weight was immediately added, and April only hugged me tighter, choking back a sob.

"Dammit! That attack wasn't meant for you!"

"Professor!"

"Professor Raine!"

"Holy…"

"S…sis…?" I whisper, pulling away slightly from Aprils ever tightening grip.

And I wished I hadn't looked.

Raine was leaning against Aprils' back.

Her own back covered in blood, much like mine had been when Pronyma attacked me.

I was thankful when I saw Raines chest moving slightly.

She was still breathing.

Though barely.

"A…are…you…a…al…right…?" her voice cracked and her words were broken.

"I…I'm…fine…but…please…don't…do that…again." April said, her voice a mere whisper as she buried her head in my hair, choking back another sob.

"Damn it all! Give me that boy! He is the key! I need him!"

Pronyma stepped forward and was about to fling Raine off of April and me.

But Mithos interfered, obviously snapping out of whatever thoughts that had engulfed his mind. He shot the beam of energy from his hand.

And it would have hit if Pronyma hadn't moved.

"Get away from them." Now Mithos was standing in front of us. He was helping Raine up off Aprils' back. I heard footsteps behind me and knew that either Lloyd or someone else was coming forward to help.

And I was right.

It was Lloyd.

"You really…are wasting my time."

I could just barely see over Lloyds' head, and what I saw made me gasp.

While everyone had their backs turned Pronyma had readied another attack.

But…I didn't want anyone else to get hurt!

"Stop it!" I shouted, startling both my friends, Pronyma, and everyone else that had stopped to watch this…episode.

"What?" Pronyma smirked, "What makes you think I'll stop."

I gulped, "I…don't want you to hurt them…so…"

Mithos seemed to be the first to catch on, "Genis! What are talking about? Are you really--"

"If…I go with you then will you leave my friends alone?"

Pronymas eyes widened, "So you'll come with me willingly?"

I nodded my head.

"Genis! You don't have to do that! We can take her on and you know it!" Lloyd shouted, glaring at me with a shocked/horrified look on his face. His eyes, though, showed a mixture of anger and concern.

"I…know…but if you were to get hurt…"

"Lloyd is right. We are strong enough to take her on." Presea said, also a hint of worry in her voice.

"I know that! But she's--"

Then just like that I felt my arm being tugged and before I realized it I was in Pronymas grip.

"Hmph, he wants to come with me on his own free will. So I'll take him with me."

"Genis." Mithos looked so…defeated…and worried.

_'He's most likely upset because you're agreeing to this and…since you are, he can't do a thing about it.'_

"Mithos, um, don't worry okay? Just…remember that thing that I said I had that you…that would help with…what we talked about?"

Mithos blinked, then nodded his head while everyone just looked between us with confused faces.

"Yeah, I know. It's…in your bag isn't it?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah, and, um, you'll have to tell everyone else about the re--nngh!" Pronymas grip tightened on my wounded hand, making me gasp, and making Mithos clench his fist even tighter.

"Now I'm assuming you're done talking--we will be leaving now." With that said I could feel…my body dissipating.

It felt like it did whenever we used those warp points.

But this time…I felt scared.

--------------------------------

Mithos' POV

I watched helplessly as Pronyma took Genis away. But…I still had something I had to do, or rather, something I had to take.

I turned my gaze back to Genis' friends. They were still watching the area where Genis had been standing, bewildered looks on their faces.

April was the first to snap out of her trance, "Raine…?" she whispered, looking at the limp form of her childhood friend, dried tears staining her cheeks.

"She's still breathing." Kratos murmured, "And she still has a pulse."

"That's…good…I can heal her then." She raised her staff and murmured a few words. The same greenish glow I had seen her use to heal Genis appeared and engulfed the half-elf, curing her visible wounds.

"I…don't know…if this is enough though." She murmured, moving so that Raines head was now resting in her lap.

"But…Genis is gone and…I'm confused." Lloyd said, shaking his head from side to side.

Heh, that was so like him.

He then turned his gaze towards me, "And then there's the question of why you're here."

Well at least we're getting the idle chat done with early.

"I'm here for the same reason I told Pronyma. Genis claimed that he'd find another way to revive Martel. And he did. And that item he…said that he had that I could have…is something needed to revive her."

"And what would this object be?" Regal asked, also seeming to regain face after these events.

"Ah, he said it was in the form of a pendant. He said he bought it in Altimira from a…merchant. The merchant told him that the pendant was made out of a combination of Aqua Quartz--which is said to give water element powers to weapons for a short while during battle--and some time of ore that dwarves used. Genis found out later that it was Inhibitor ore though…"

"I see…but does he still have it?"

"That's what he said, isn't it? It should be in his bag…I'll…go check. Meanwhile I think it'd be best if you moved Raine to a…more suitable environment."

I turned away from them and hurried into the inn, past the inn owner and the smaller elven children that had stopped their play to watch the events that had transpired just a few moments prior.

I turned into the room Genis had been staying in and noticed his bag immediately. I quickly opened it and searched it through, looking up briefly when I heard shouting.

The Elf Elder was here…

I sighed and looked back down, finally noticing something with an eerie blue shine to it.

I pulled it out and sure enough it was the pendant.

And it was very well made.

It even had the pattern etched into it that most exspheres had…

But wait…it was…different.

But then again, it was probably just a design so.

"Ah, you really are here."

I stood up and turned towards the doorway to face the elder.

"Yes I'm here. I found what I was looking for and I will leave."

I walked past him slowly, not really wanting to explain my reasons for being here.

"You know, you've changed. When my grandfather…told my father about you, and thus when my father told me stories…I never expected that you…would come here to aid a fellow Half-elf that betrayed you."

"I have my reasons."

"That boy must be special."

"he is special." I whisper before I could stop myself.

"Hmm? Really now? I've heard he's deft in the magical field--"

"That's not it. Now I'm leaving. I don't really want to think of the possibilities of what Pronyma can do to him…"

The elder just nodded his head, "Well I'm not stopping you."

I sighed and walked out the door, immediately being greeted by Lloyd, who seemed pure and utterly confused.

"Mithos--"

"Yes?"

"…You're going to Derris Kharlan aren't you?"

I nodded my head, "Of course I am. Hopefully I will be able to find Genis before…Pronyma can use him for whatever she needs him for."

Lloyd just nodded his head, "I…yeah…but…" He glanced over at Kratos who was leaning up against a nearby tree.

"But what?"

"I…the Aionis…"

Then it hit me. He had to use the Eternal Sword to get to Derris Kharlan.

He couldn't just teleport there like Kratos, Yuan, or I could.

"I…see. And the only way you can use the Aionis is if you turn it into a ring and equip it while drawing the Eternal Sword."

"But it's still bound by your pact…isn't it? And I…don't think I could…fight you over it since you're being so--"

"--Cooperative?"

Lloyd nodded his head, "Yeah. So what do I--"

Kratos now seemed to notice us talking and moved forward to stand by his son.

"You're talking about the Eternal Sword, yes?"

"Yeah…we…are…"

"Hmm."

"Well, more like what Lloyd is going to have to do since the Sword is still bound by my pact. And of course he doesn't want to kill me now."

Kratos nods his head. His eyes widen slightly, but he doesn't say anything.

"You…know…what has to be done, don't you?" I ask, and he merely runs his fingers through his hair worriedly.

"Yes. But in doing so you would either have to die or break your pact. But as for how you're going to accomplish either…"

"I already said I wasn't going to die."

"So breaking the pact then…but how are you going to--"

That was a good question. How was I going to break the pact? The Eternal Sword was used to split the two worlds, and it's also used to connect Derris Kharlan to the Earth via the Tower of Salvation.

Wait.

I think I just solved the problem.

"I…see…I know what I can do."

Both Lloyd and Kratos, as well as those who had over heard the conversation.

"And that is…?"

"The Eternal Sword, as you already know, was used to create the two worlds. But it also serves as a link to Derris Kharlan."

"So…?"

Kratos' face paled, "You aren't thinking of…destroying that link…the Tower of Salvation…are you?"

"I'm afraid it's the only way I can think of breaking the pact."

"But if you destroy it--"

"I never said it was going to be easy, or that it was…going to be safe. But it's the quickest way. And quite honestly we're running out of time."

"I…know this sounds…cold, but I agree with him." April said from her position on the ground. She still had Raines head in her lap, and she didn't seem to want to move anytime soon.

"Wha--"

"it is the quickest way. But it's also not safe. Who knows what will happen when the tower of Salvation is destroyed?"

"That's…true. It hasn't happened before so…I don't know either. But you really should…get her inside."

April sighed and nodded her head, "I will but it seems that you should take care of breaking that pact first."

Well, yes, she was right.

"Fine then. I'll be leaving now. When you reach Derris Kharlan hopefully Genis will be freed by then and he can tell you himself about what is needed to revive Martel."

I focused my mind on the Tower of Salvation, or, more specifically, the Seal room.

I silently hoped that Pronyma hadn't done anything to Genis yet.

Though the fact that he was the 'key' really…unnerved me.

I teleported away and wound up right in front of the sword itself. I silently hoped that I was doing the right thing…but it was a little too late to be thinking about that.

I walked over to the sword, using my mind to lift it from its resting place.

"Eternal Sword, this is my last wish for you before your Pact is Broken."

_'Yes…?'_ the voice of the sword asked, seeming slightly alarmed but…somewhat calm at the same time.

"I want you to destroy the link to Derris Kharlan."

_'I…yes…I will do as you wish.'_

The room around me began to shake and I sighed, "Well then I guess I should be getting to Venheim now." I teleported away once more to my castle on Derris Kharlan…

Hoping against hoping that Genis was okay.

That he could still be saved.

All the while I wondered, what exactly did Pronyma mean by Genis being the 'key'?

----------------------------------

**Me: **And that's Chapter/Part Twenty-three…though I really should have gotten this out yesterday but…

**April: **Things happen. Though I'm happy you kept me alive…

**Me: **Hmm?

**April: **Raine got hurt instead. -whimper-

**Me: **Ah…um…she'll get better! I promise!

**April: **She'd better… -glares-

**Me: **-cough- would I ever lie to you? Now, anyway…R&R please! I love hearing from people!


	24. A New Member Joins!

**Me: **Dun, dun, _dun_ and here's Chapter/Part Twenty-four!

**Feral: **Yes…here it is.

**To Understand: Part Twenty-four**

**A New Member Joins!**

**By Harmony283**

**Good Reviews: 5  
**

**Liu Barrowin-**Actually, from my most recent attempt at doing a Chapter Plan thingy, there should be…uh…I think maybe eleven chapters left? Hmm, that might change but no it's not over yet. And yeah, everyone's basically out of it…and Pronyma's more thankful than anything else cuz let's just say she would've gotten in _big_ trouble if she hadn't kidnapped Genis. And…you can leave school for lunch? Even people at my school who _know_ how to drive (and those who have cars) can't leave…and, besides the fact that it's against the rules, there aren't any restaurants around and most people don't live near the school anyway so…-cough- uh yeah…here's the next Chapter, I hope ya like it!

**bloodstainedmoon-**Yay! Another new reviewer! I'm glad you like my fanfic…and yeah, I wish I had more reviews too (there're over 2500 hits for it now) but the only way I can think of getting those reviews is to put it up in the C2…thing…but I don't exactly know what to do to have it put in there (it's either someone requests it or I have to be a staff member to one…-cough-something like that). But yeah, anyway, thanks for the review and here's the next Chapter!

**Mizuki hikari-**Yes poor Genis, but, um I think the word 'deft' means to be skillful and quick at doing something -looks up word- ah yeah, that's right…so yeah, think of it as the village elder complimenting the boy (though how he found out about his skills…I don't know, I guess I'll make something up)…but anyway…Thanks for the review and here's the next chapter!

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Eh-heh-heh…uh…the suspense is killing you? Ack! Not good! (First I have reviewers threatening me, then their heads explode and now…) and 5 chapters a day? 20 + words a chapter? Agh…I could never do that! Well…maybe I could but not in Chapters (I have written a chapter that was 20+ pages before but the fanfic that that chapter belongs to won't ever see the light of day…probably - -;)…-cough-anyway…yeah, thanks for the review and here's the next chapter!

**DraNKa-**Yes, everyone does need a good bedtime story now and then. And yes both Genis and April were brave, since they both technically knew more about what was going on than anyone else did…and Lloyd is basically going to try to piece things together…but he won't really get anywhere until someone actually tells him something. And yes Mithos will be able to reclaim that title…especially in the—uh…never mind –cough- but yeah! I'm glad you liked the chapter and here's the next one!

**Azure-chan (Hiranieas)-**Your laptop has gone caput? That's not…good…but hey, at least you're getting another one! (would that be today since, here, it's the fourteenth…?) And I'm glad you liked the chapter, and yes, Mithos will do the honors of…disposing of the annoying green haired evil lady named Pronyma. As for when…maybe in a few chapters…? Ah yeah, thanks for the review and here's the next Chapter!

**  
Me: **Ah…I'm glad I decided to do this Chapter early.

**Feral: **Well…yes, I agree. It seems…filler-ish

**Me: **But it _is_ important! April joins and the Aionis is made into a ring, and both of those things are important…

**Feral: **That's true. Now I'll do the disclaimer--Harmony283 doesn't own ToS. How many times do I have to say that? All she owns is me, April, and the plot line…

**Authors Note: **You're very enthusiastic today. But that's beside the point! In this Chapter, as the title says, there's going to be a new member joining Lloyd and the gang! And that person is…April! (if you haven't already figured that out) Okay, maybe she's not 'new' (she's been around since Chapter/Part Thirteen…I think) but she's never out right joined them. She's just been playing caretaker for Genis. And of course, she's going to do the same, somewhat, for Raine. Okay so basically she does replace Raine for, like, two days, but Raine does rejoin before they go to the Tower of Salvation (or ToS…har, har, har). Basically in this Chapter Lloyd and Co. save the people of Heimdall and then they go to Iselia.

**Feral: **That was a long Authors Note.

**Me: **Well there's a lot to be explained in this Chapter. Like, for instance, April's going to go into detail about how her parents died and how she figured out Pronyma was her older sister. And she's also going to have to explain why Mithos was here and what (she thinks) Genis is in terms of why Pronyma wants him…

**Feral: **So she's an MC in this Chapter eh?

**Me: **Basically, yeah…she is.

-----------------------------

Aprils POV

"There…she should be fine now…" I said, moving a stray strand of whitish silver hair off her face.

"So she will need to rest?" the Elf elder asked from behind me, a small hint of…concern…apparent in his voice

"Yes. Which is why I wanted to ask you if she could…"

"Stay here?"

"Yes. It's best…not to move her."

"I see. Fine, I will make arrangements."

I smiled in relief, "That's good. I'll go outside and—"

"You do realize that…you're making it sound like you're not going to be here." His voice was calm with a hint of curiosity to it.

So he did notice.

"Well, yes, I do plan on going with them. You know as well as I do that my…that Pronyma is my sister…I need to set things right with her before anything more happens."

"I understand that well enough. But are you sure they will let you come with them?"

I smiled, "Well Kratos is going with them, and apparently Zelos betrayed them but came back to them so…it shouldn't be a problem. Besides, with Raine…out of the picture…they need a healer."

"That's understandable."

"April! How's the Professor—oh…sorry was I, um, where you two talking?" It was Colette.

I smiled, "Ah, no we were just finishing up here and Raine's sleeping now."

"I…I see…" she seemed upset though.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Ah! No…no…it's nothing! Eh-heh-heh…um…but…you want to come with use don't you?"

So she did overhear something.

"Yes I do but…"

"I'm so sorry! I should have told you I overheard! I'm so sorry!"

"I'll take my leave now." The elder muttered, chuckling to himself as he walked out the door.

"Colette…calm down…okay? It's fine that you overheard. It's not like we where talking about anything serious anyway."

"But…um…I…overheard once before with Lloyd an' Zelos and that…I regret…doing that." She was almost to tears.

Now I was worried.

I had heard that the Chosen from Sylvarant was a cheerful person, but if she really was the same girl then…

Yes, something definitely was wrong.

"Colette…where are you?" Sheena called out from outside. She then noticed us in the inn window and hurried inside.

"Oh no…not again…" She murmured, wrapping her arms comfortingly around Colette.

"What's wrong…?" I asked, slightly surprised to see Colette collapse like that.

It was like she couldn't even stand on her own.

"Ah…it's complicated."

"Well, we do have some time to talk—"

A shout from outside made us turn towards the window. Everyone was running around shouting about something.

We looked at each other and then ran out the door.

…only to see the Tower of Salvation crumbling to the ground before our very eyes…

Just like Mithos had said.

"Ah…well, I take that back…" I murmured, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Yeah, right now we need to--woah!" We watched a piece of the Tower of Salvation came crashing down on the nearby Item Shop.

And then another a few feet in front of us.

Another over by the benches a little ways off.

"We have to go!" Lloyd, who had obviously gone to talk to some of the other villagers, shouted running over to us followed by some rather scared looking towns people.

"But the Elder--"

"Don't worry, April. I am here." The Elder, one of the last in the group of elves following Lloyd, said smiling at me reassuringly.

"Ah…okay…"

"Now then, everyone get out!"

And everyone listened.

No wonder…everyone had so much faith in this boy…he really _was_ amazing.

"But Raine's…"

A loud explosion could be heard coming from some ways off, shaking the ground beneath us.

"The Tower of Salvation--" Lloyd cried out, watching as the tower seemed to…disappear

"…is gone…" Presea finished.

"Yes. And now it will happen."

Suddenly the wind picked up, swirling around us. And suddenly…

A great swell of Mana…

Wait, but there couldn't possibly be _that_ much mana in one place! There isn't even that much Mana here in Tethe'alla!

My eyes widened as I looked up at where the sky used to be.

In its place was a weird, purple glowing planet of Mana.

"Is that…a planet?" I whisper.

"Yes, it is." Kratos said, walking over to us.

"But how could a planet exist that close…?" An elf asked.

"Because it can. And because of the Tower of Salvation. That planet is Derris Kharlan."

That's Derris Kharlan?

"The planet that the elves came from…?"

"Heh, if you want to call it that then, feel free. Though it's more of a twisted version of it." The blue haired half-elf, Yuan, stated, walking up to stand next to Kratos.

"So Mithos really did keep his promise to destroy the link."

"Yes apparently. But now we have more important things to worry about."

"Like what?"

"Lloyd…the Aionis."

"Ah! Yeah! You need to make a ring out of it right?" Zelos, who had been silently watching the whole scene in disgusted awe, suddenly spoke up, making both Sheena and Colette jump.

"Ah…Zelos…yes. That's correct."

"But Altessa's…"

"Not well enough to do it. Yes that's true."

"Then what do we do?" Sheena asked, hands on her hips, "We need to make that ring!"

"Wait a sec…"

"What is it Lloyd?"

"Dad--Dirk can make it!" he said with a grin on his face.

"Oh yeah, that's right…he's a dwarf…" Colette murmured, keeping her eyes on the ground.

"Hmm, but are you sure he can do it? He didn't know how to cure Colette--the Chosen--"

"Don't worry! I'm sure if we show him what to do an' stuff we can make it!" Lloyd said, though this time his face looked more serious.

So they were going to leave Heimdall.

"But Raine still needs to heal." I added, making them turn to face me.

"Ah…yeah that's right…" Lloyd looked past me at the inn, "Good thing the inn wasn't destroyed but we can't really afford to waist any time."

"Yes, that's true…"

"She can stay here and recover. I will personally make sure someone watches her until she is well." The Elder said, smiling at me.

"I--you'd do that…?"

"That's great! It solves our problem but--wait…why isn't April going to…?"

I turned to face Lloyd and smiled, "I…If it isn't too much trouble I would…like to come with you."

Lloyd gave me a sympathetic look, "Yeah that's fine…but we're going to have to…kill your sister, probably, if we wanna get Genis back."

I nodded my head, "I know. And I won't stop you." I smiled, "I know I won't like it but…with Raine not in the best of health you need a healer. And since I'm a healer…"

"Ah…yeah that's true. Well, since you seem dead set on coming, why not? We have an extra Rhieard since Raine and Genis are…uh…yeah…"

"Yes and we have to leave one here in case Professor Raine gets better."

"Yeah, Presea's right. If we don't leave a Rhieard here then, if she just so happens to get better, she won't be able to join us."

"I see…hmm, well, I can fly, and Yuan can as well, so we will use our wings."

Lloyd nodded his head, "Okay then…let's get goin'. Who knows how long forging this ring could take."

----------------------

Lloyds POV

I sighed and mounted my Rhieard, lifting up into the now purple sky and heading towards the Tethe'alla Renegade Base.

Though I could only think of one thing.

How confusing this all was.

First off, in the very beginning when we first started on this Journey it had been the Journey of Regeneration. That had been all fine and good--Colette releasing the seals and us traveling around and defeating the Desians. And then of course, it changed when we came to Tethe'alla. Then it had been how in the name of the goddess above--if there really was one--would we heal Colette? Back then she was just a body with no soul and no heart.

Just like an Exsphere.

And then that's when I met Zelos.

I sighed, back then I had been so…naïve. I hadn't even known that he would play a huge part in my life. If I had I would've…well, treated him nicer. But Zelos had told me just the night before, when he asked if he could travel with me after this was over, that that was what had made him fall in love with me. My…well, he called it innocence. But part of it was just because I didn't call him 'Chosen'.

And of course, back then I hadn't thought that meant much…I mean, people _like_ being called by their name don't they?

But Zelos had shown that it had meant a lot to him when he betrayed us.

I shook my head. That was all in the past now!

But even if that was in the past, there were a ton of questions that were still left unanswered.

One, for example, was Mithos and his motives.

First he was our enemy: Lord Yggdrasill.

Then he was our—well mostly Genis'—friend: Mithos.

Then he was the hero from four thousand years ago: Mithos Yggdrasill. But then again he was the same.

And now…he even went so far as to destroy the Tower of Salvation in order to prevent Pronyma from escaping Venheim.

He did it so that he could, obviously, kill her for hurting Genis.

But then a whole bunch of other questions surfaced.

Like why was Mithos so keen on protecting Genis.

And why was Genis so important to Pronyma?

Also what exactly was Genis' relationship with Mithos?

It wouldn't surprise me if he had developed a crush on the blond boy but…Genis never acted like that. Like a gay person.

So…there was a slim chance of that happening.

But what about the other way around?

What if Mithos had a crush on Genis?

I shuddered. Why did that seem more believable?

That man…boy...uh…man-boy? Angel? Yeah, Angel.

How could that angel have a heart?

He killed all those innocent people so he definitely was cruel hearted.

But how could a cruel person find that kind of love—or room—for someone else?

But then again, April seemed to know something about him that we didn't.

That just made me wonder how long Mithos had been in Heimdall. When we arrived back, he was already there, and April hadn't really said much of anything about it.

But what really surprised me was the fact that he was so willing to listen to Genis. But then again he had been the only person to say that he'd find a different way to revive Martel.

Me…I was just trying to find a way to stop him.

So that naturally meant that Genis at least cared somewhat about Mithos, right?

That they still were remotely friends?

And now I was confused all over again.

"Lloyd." It was Kratos, he had flown up beside me, obviously noticing me thinking.

"Yeah…?"

"Is everything all right? You look worried…and confused."

I nodded my head, "Yeah, I am. I'm worried about Genis being okay and I'm confused on why Mithos is helping us."

Kratos just nodded his head, keeping his face as calm and unreadable as ever.

"I see."

At times like this I only had to wonder if this was my real father standing—err flying—next to me.

"That's to be expected. Don't worry too much about it. Well, at least don't worry about what Mithos' role in this is." Somehow it sounded like he knew something.

But then again, why wouldn't he? He worked for Mithos and he had known him for four thousand years.

Of course he'd know something about his motives that I didn't.

"I'm wondering…can we trust that he'll come through for us?"

"As I just said, do not worry about it."

"But what makes you so sure? I mean, yeah you've known him for a long time, and yeah he was your apprentice and all, but he's the ruler over Cruxis, and he's…fooled us before."

Kratos' features turned rigid and his tone took on that of someone saying the utmost truth about something, "Yes I won't deny that that's true. But I can assure you that, because Genis' life stands on the line—in front of the door of possible death—he would not turn back on his word."

His eyes then soften, "I'm sure he will come through for us. Though…you might not have to worry about killing Pronyma."

I looked at him confused, "Why not?"

"She will, most likely, already be dead…if Mithos finds her."

He then quickened his pace, flying ahead of me.

As I just watched him, dumbfounded.

"Wait…so he'd just turn around and kill someone who was more loyal to him than anyone else was…?"

Did Genis really mean that much to him?

I slowed down a bit as we hovered overhead the Renegades base, transporting to Sylvarant for the umpteenth time.

The first thing I did when I reached the familiar land was look up at the sky.

It was the same eerie purple, with the occasional purple lightning bolt. I shuddered, wondering what the people of Sylvarant were thinking—first the Tower of Salvation disappears and now the sky changes.

They must think it's the end of the world.

And I honestly wouldn't blame them. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have a clue of what's going on if I had never joined Colette and the others on the Journey of Regeneration—now called the Journey to Reunite the Two worlds.

I, along with everyone else in our company, began the rather short flight to Iselia.

To Dirk—my dads house.

To make a ring from the Aionis

So that I would be able to wield the Eternal Sword.

So that I…could get to Venheim, the Planet of the Elves.

And finally, so that I could reunite the two worlds.

It was almost too much to handle at times like this. But then again, I wanted this. I wanted the two worlds to be at peace with each other. They had been in this horrible balance for all too long. Even Kratos had been amazed at how long this balance had been set up.

We landed our Rheiards right outside of Dads house.

Our footsteps pounded against the dirt and wooden bridge that crossed over the small stream outside of his house.

How ironic that each time we visited this place it seemed to be of more importance.

And, how ironic it was that this used to be—and still was—the place I grew up in.

I opened the door, making Dirk, who was just starting up another fire, jump, and cried out, "DAD! We need your help!"

"What is it Lloyd?"

Kratos stepped forward, "We need you to make something for us."

"And what would that be?" Dirk asked, giving Kratos a suspicious stare.

"It's a ring…out of this." He held out the Aionis we had received.

Dirk seemed slightly surprised, "And what would this be…?"

"Aionis."

Dad seemed surprised, but didn't say anything. He just took the Aionis and examined it.

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Here, I brought the equipment you need in order to make it."

"You know I most likely don't have the skills…"

"Well the dwarf that does has sustained life threatening injuries. He is not capable of doing it right now."

Dirk seemed offended, and why wouldn't he? How could Kratos just say something like that.

Man, talk about an insult.

I watched patiently as Kratos brought out the 'equipment'.

It hit me hard when I saw the sacred wood.

No…way…he…so that's why he had gone through all that trouble to ask Presea where the Sacred Wood was!

"You've been searching around all of Tethe'alla to…find these things…?" I asked in awe, my voice a bare whisper.

"Yes, you could say that."

"I…see…I'll make this ring, it should take no time at all." There was a glint in Dirks eyes as he said this.

And just a few moments later…the ring was made.

"So this is it, huh?"

"Yes, with that, you should be able to use the Eternal Sword. Though you will have to forge your own trust—a bond—with it."

I nodded my head, "Yeah…that makes sense."

Kratos sighed, making me look up. I watched as he unhooked his Sword—Flameburg (A/N: is that the sword Kratos uses? I can't remember) from his belt and unsheathed it, placing it on the wooden table.

"Here, I will give you this Sword to use."

I gawked. What was Kratos getting at, giving me his prized sword?

Dirk chuckled, "Well then, I have a present for you too." He walked over to a nearby cabinet, opened the bottom draw, where a long case was being stored.

He brought the case over to the table and opened it, revealing a sword much like Kratos', except for it was blue.

"This is the Vorpal (A/N: I know this is what the other sword is called but I don't think I spelled it right…eh-heh-heh) bald. You can use this as well."

Now I was equally shocked.

"Wait…are you sure?"

"Just think of it as a present…from your two fathers."

So Dirk knew?

Kratos seemed slightly surprised as well.

"I see, so you figured it out."

"Yes." Dirk nodded his head, "But remember, Lloyd, this is still your home. Why don't you…rest here for the night? You look like you need it."

I smiled, "Yeah, okay. Why don't you stay here too, Kratos?"

Kratos, my real father, just nodded his head, "Yes, I believe I will."

"Okay then! I'll go outside and tell the others." I turned and walked out the front door. The one thing going through my mind was; we were almost finished.

Everything would be done…

And the worlds would be at peace.

But…was everything really going to go this smoothly?

----------------------------

**Me: **And that's the end! Yeah, I know, no Mithos or Genis in this chapter but, meh. This Chapter had to be put in.

**Feral: **Yes, besides, you said it yourself—in one of the earlier chapters—that you were trying to go by the storyline of the game since you already basically screwed it up…in some places…

**Me: **Yeah, that's true. But yeah, the next Chapter should be focusing more on what happens to Genis and Mithos. And…I've got another thing I'm indecisive on…

**Feral: **here we go again…

**Me: **Oh hush. –cough-anyway, I'm wondering on if I should make Kratos stay with Lloyd and Co. (since he can, like I said—I think—in chapter Twenty three, teleport to Venheim) or if I should make him stay at Dirks place like he does in the game (if–cough-Zelosdoesn'tdie-cough-). So yeah, tell me what you think I should do—or what you want to see happen—(I don't care either way) and, like always, R&R! It makes me happy to get reviews!


	25. Jealousy in Chains

**Me: **Here's Chapter/Part Twenty Five! And I just realized that I'm past 200 pages as of last Chapter (I'm actually at 208 pages)! Yay!

**April:** Mm…yes…that's a lot of pages…but I hope Genis and Mithos are okay…

**Me: **Well, you'll just have to find out!

**April: **And that honest to goodness scares me…

**Me: **Hey!

**To Understand: Part Twenty-five**

**Jealousy in Chains **

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**Liu Barrowin-**Ah…it said that? That's odd…I though I changed it…? Maybe it didn't –goes back and reads-…ah, yeah, I don't see it (maybe cuz I did edit the Chapter once and I probably—most likely—changed it) but it probably was there (it's in the original draft…I think) but oh well! That's besides the point! Here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Mizuki hikari-**I'm glad you think things are getting more interesting! Here's the next Chapter! Enjoy!

**DraNKa-**It feels like forever? The last time I updated was…Monday (I think)…and that wasn't too long ago (it was only 6 days…well…that is kinda long…)…but yeah, Homework gets in the way…And yup, April's joining the group! Raine will too…when they get to the Tower of Salvation (but then I have to wonder what I'm gonna do for the traps that everyone gets caught in…hmm…). Yeah Lloyd's pretty dense about the whole Genis Mithos relationship thing until Kratos tells him (whenever that'll be). And yeah Kratos does act fatherly towards both Lloyd and Mithos…which is why he was the confidant to Mithos when he was having problems sorting emotional stuff out. And I hope I don't torture you with this update! I have to share this computer with my dad and he's on it most of the weekend so…I can't really update then…

**  
Me: **Well then, like I said in the last Chapter this chapter's gonna show you what's going on with Genis and Pronyma.

**April: **-sniff-how could she do this? Ah, who am I kidding? I knew she could do this…

**Me: **Um…-pats back- it's okay…it'll all be over soon.

**April: **No it won't. Lloyd and everyone else still don't know anything besides the fact that Pronyma's my sister.

**Me: **They'll find that out soon enough--why don't you do the disclaimer now? It'll make you feel better.

**April: **Okay…Harmony283 doesn't own ToS or any of its characters. She just uses them for her enjoyment. But she does own me and (both) Feral(s) as well as any other OC that just randomly pops up…so yeah, please don't steal us!

**Me: **See? Don't you feel better now?

**April: **Mmm…maybe a little…

**Authors Note: **Ah, well, there's really nothing more I can do -shrugs-it's the plot. The plot is evil…-cough- ah, yeah…anyways…in this Chapter/Part you see Genis trying--to no avail--to get away from Pronyma. And of course, Pronyma's trying to reawaken that…weird lady that took over Genis a few chapters ago. Will she succeed? Will Mithos get there in time? Or will another devious trap set by Pronyma, the Queen of Traps, stop Mithos? Hmm…I wonder…

**April: **Well that was…reassuring…

**Me: **Hey! I'm just goin' along with the plot…so…

**April: **I know, I know…

------------------------------

Genis' POV

I felt…like I was falling.

Falling, falling, falling.

And then I stopped.

I blinked and opened my eyes, looking around dazed…

Where was I?

I felt like I've been here before.

But where is 'here'?

A cold chill ran up my spine as I realized it.

I was in that room again.

The room that Pronyma…that Mithos had found me in the last time Pronyma had kidnapped me.

That seemed like so long ago.

When in truth, it was only a few days ago.

I shivered as another cold chill swept through me. Man I had the worst luck now didn't I?

I then noticed another thing.

I was alone.

Yes Pronyma wasn't in the room with me, but then again that should've made me feel relieved.

But…Feral…wasn't with me either.

And she wasn't sleeping either.

She was gone.

But how could that be? Did she finally decide that she didn't want to be in my head anymore?

But she said herself that she chose me.

She could've changed her mind.

Maybe she didn't want me to get hurt anymore?

But...I could stop that other Feral from coming out…well, yeah it hurt a lot but…I still could so she didn't really need to worry about it.

Then I had to wonder, where did Pronyma go.

What an unusual thought to have at a time like this. I mean, why would I want to know where the person who hurt me went? I'd be happy if she left me here and never came back.

But then again, because of all those horror/mystery novels that I had I knew that always knowing where your enemy was--where the bad guy was--was a good thing. Because normally they would be hiding somewhere just waiting for you to put down your guard then they'd come out and…

Kill you…

I shuddered again. Now I really wished Feral were here.

Even if she couldn't become a real person in this world she could still provide some solstice right?

Right.

I sighed, "Now I really wish I had let Mithos, Lloyd, and the others fight Pronyma. I mean, yeah, they're strong enough--heck, Mithos's more than strong enough to take her on."

"Oh but you didn't and besides, I thought I told you I needed you." Pronyma's voice rang out through the room, bouncing off the walls, creating an echoing effect.

I shuddered again, "Where are you?"

"Right here."

I jumped and whirled around as I felt her hand on my shoulder.

She smirked, "Now then, why don't we get ready? This is going to hurt--not that I care. But I just thought I ought to warn you. After all, I'm not as cruel as I seem."

"You're a Hypocrite."

"Hmm, maybe. Maybe not."

I felt something cold and dark wrap around my neck.

Wait, how can I feel dark?

"Nngh!" I gasped out as the cold dark object tightened.

"Hmph, struggling will only make it worse."

Then I realized it. It was some type of chain.

Ugh so she was going to try and choke me?

Yup she's _definitely_ a hypocrite.

"My you're lasting longer than I thought. And he said that you were the weakest one in the group."

"H-he…?" I wheezed out, my windpipe slowly being squeezed shut.

Pronyma scowled, "Yes he. And I shouldn't have said that. Oh well, you should pass out soon enough…but if you insist on staying conscious I'll just have to knock you out. I mean, that'd just be a quicker way to--" her head shot up and she whirled around.

"Dammit! Lord Yggdrasill's already here!"

"M-Mithos…?"

"Grr…and he closed off the path to the Tower of Salvation too…damn, I have to get out of here or else he'll kill me! But…no…wait I know what I can do…"

She didn't get a chance to say another word as the door to the room flew open…

revealing a very pissed off Mithos.

"L-Lord Y-Yggdrasill!"

"M-M-Mithos…!"

Mithos' eyes widened as he saw me.

"Genis!"

He moved forward only to have Pronyma step in front of me.

Gods, I don't think I'll last much longer.

My head feels light…

Really light.

"I'm sorry but you can't have your precious _boyfriend_. He's too important."

"Oh really now? And why is he so important? I already know you aren't going by my orders…"

"No I'm not, sir. I hate to say it but I haven't since…well…since this boys' sister fell ill that one time…"

Mithos' eyes widened, though my eyes were so unfocused now…

But that wasn't important. So she had started working for someone else since Raine got sick and Mithos and I saved her?

Was she jealous even then?

Well why wouldn't she? That's when Mithos started to pay more attention to me so of course that'd…well…make sense.

She's already proven that she's the jealous type. April said that she had been the cause of her parents death. And April's an elf. So Pronyma was obviously jealous because April didn't have to go through all of the pain and the racism and everything else associated with being the 'tainted' beings that we are.

"And now I'm wondering how I could have missed the obvious signs."

"Because maybe you were too caught up in this boy to notice!"

She sounded generally pissed off.

And now I knew I was in danger.

She was controlling this chain with magic.

And she was tightening it.

I gasped out, getting both of their attentions.

Mithos moved forward once again, this time raising his hand, forming a ball of light magic to shoot at her.

I wheezed, now it was getting to the point where it was almost impossible to breathe.

Dammit, I had _really_ bad luck now didn't I?

"Let Genis go or else."

"Or else what? You'll attack me? Hmph, I'm not scared of you."

And yet again she was being a hypocrite. She was obviously scared.

I mean, who wouldn't be?

Mithos Yggdrasill, the leader of Cruxis and the Desians, as well as the one who split the two worlds apart.

When he got angry he was angry.

"Yes actually. I will. And yes you are afraid. You've just proven that."

"Oh really now?" she sounded amused, but her underlying tone was that of someone who was scared out of their wits.

"Yes, you have. For one your face is paler than normal and two…your eyes…they always turn a shade lighter when you're afraid."

Well, that was to be expected. I mean, she's worked for Cruxis ever since…well…I guess for a long time.

Suddenly the room started to get dimmer. And was I spinning or was the room spinning?

Man I felt dizzy.

And…I couldn't breathe.

Oh great. Pronyma's fear must be making the magic controlling the chain stronger…and making the chain get tighter around my neck.

Now I gagged.

I heard the sound of Mithos' attack being released.

But my vision was too blurry to see it.

Of course, my hearing was just fine…

I heard Pronyma scream.

And then the room around me went dark.

---------------------------

Mithos' POV

I had finally reached Venheim and I had only been there a few seconds before I knew something wasn't right.

First off nothing was right because Pronyma was obviously going by someone elses orders and she had Genis.

Second was the…mana…felt strange. It felt like it did when I watched Pronyma set up those traps.

I guessed that this was just the way her mana felt.

But I didn't know how far she would go with these traps.

But now I did.

She proved it when I had knocked down that invisible door in the same exact room she had kept Genis in last time.

And when I saw that chain…

That Chain of pure darkness tightening around Genis' neck, as well as his wrists…

Gods this woman was even more evil than I thought.

Or was it jealousy that was fueling this anger?

Hell, who was I kidding? Of course it was jealousy! She knew that I loved Genis and she was jealous!

Now I'm wondering just how many times she used jealousy to fuel her anger.

I know one time would have been the time April was talking about.

Pronyma had been jealous because her mother—who was Aprils mother as well, apparently—had found another lover…who just so happened to be an elf.

She had been jealous of April—who hadn't even been born yet—because she knew that she would be born a full blooded elf.

She was jealous because since she would be completely one race she wouldn't have to go through the pain she did.

What a horrible woman.

And what's more…she had power.

To say she wasn't one of my stronger members would be lying.

How in the name of Martel—gods how I missed her—did any of the Grand Cardinals think she made it to the top?

I already knew Magnius thought of something, well, perverted.

Kvar wouldn't have cared. He would've stooped so low as to kill her to get that position—not that he was strong enough to.

Rodyle probably never cared to begin with. He'd just as soon destroy us all. And yet again, he wasn't powerful enough to.

Forcystus…well…he actually knew how she had gotten that position.

The poor fool.

He had gone and…fallen in love with her.

And yet he had died.

He was the one I thought would have survived too.

And he was the one I now wished was here. He could probably calm Pronyma down enough so that she could at least see something past this jealousy.

But of course, he wasn't going to come back from the dead.

No normal human being—elf, half-elf, or human—could bring someone back from the dead. The only being I knew of that would know of a way would be the Summon Spirit of Birth—Maxwell.

But he was all the way in Exire.

Though that really wasn't important now.

What was important was getting Genis away from her.

Then I could worry about whatever else there was to worry about.

I heard Genis choke and wheeze.

It sounded—and looked—horrible.

Genis was right there and…and…he was in pain.

And Pronyma had caused that pain.

I saw her eyes widening as I released my attack.

I heard her scream.

I waited until the light from my attack died down, expecting to see her crippled form on the ground.

But I didn't.

She was gone.

And Genis had passed out.

Dammit!

I ran over to the other half-elven boy and touched the chain.

I immediately jerked my hand away.

What was this chain made of?

It was cold, which was normal, but it was also…dark?

How can something feel dark?

And yet again that wasn't important!

I formed another mass of light energy in my hand—after all what could beat the dark but the light?—though this time it was much smaller, only about the size of a marble, and I touched the chain again.

This time it disintegrated.

I sighed in relief as the chains binding his wrist disappeared as well.

Genis then collapsed in my arms.

"Oh gods Genis…please be alive…" I murmured, checking for a pulse on his neck.

It was there, but it wasn't very strong.

Well, I might as well heal these small wounds.

I moved to touch his right wrist—the one that had his Exsphere on it—and blinked.

When did he take those bandages off?

Or did Pronyma do that?

And…his Exsphere looked different. It wasn't the normal shade of blue that it usually was.

And…it looked like something white was swirling around in it.

Or maybe that was the lights?

I shook my head, clearing those thoughts from my head.

I then mumbled some words under my breath, a calm healing wind cascaded around us, healing away any wounds we might have received, as well as my stress over this entire…escapade.

"Don't worry Genis." I murmur, picking him up gently from the ground.

"I'll get you out of here…and I promise, the next time I see Pronyma…she's dead."

And I intended to keep that promise.

Because, quite honestly, Pronyma had gone too far.

But now, I had to wait for Genis' friends.

After all, they were probably just as worried about him as I had been.

I chuckled softly to myself as I sat down on a nearby couch.

When had I become such a…caring person?

When had I changed?

I looked at the—now sleeping—form of Genis in my lap and smiled.

"It's because of you isn't it?" I whispered in his ear, running my fingers through his hair.

I knew that I shouldn't just be sitting here.

Especially since Pronyma could show up at any moment.

After all I had sealed off the route to Tethe'alla—and Sylvarant.

But then again…I didn't want to leave Genis here alone and I also didn't want to put him in danger by going after Pronyma and dragging him along.

I sighed and looked up.

My eyes fell on single mirror in the room, with its ornately sketched border.

Pronyma had brought that in a while ago…though I hadn't known she put it in this room.

Then I noticed.

A piece of that mirror was missing.

----------------------------------------

**Me: **Ah…whew…I think this is probably the fastest I've ever written a chapter before!

**April: **It probably is (on account of you updated not only this chapter but another chapter from another ToS fanfic today). But I'm glad Genis is safe!

**Me: **Yeah, he will be…for now.

**April: **-gulp-what are you planning?

**Me: **Heh, you'll just have to find out yourself! Now then, R&R! I love getting reviews! They make me happy!


	26. Past Relations

**Me: **And here's Chapter/Part Twenty Six!

**April: **Yup! Though I'm still worried about Genis and Mithos with my sister lurking around an' all…

**Me: **Don't worry…no one except Pronyma's going to die. Remember that.

**April: **I know but…they still might get hurt.

**Me: **Well…that's true.

**April: **-sigh- it doesn't help that you're agreeing with me.

**To Understand: Part Twenty-six**

**Past Relations**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews: 6 (92 reviews and over 2700 hits! Yay!) **

Hiranieas-Ah, don't worry the evil Pronyma will die soon. And, quite honestly I'm not that surprised that people don't like OC's. Especially since some OC's are just…poorly written/described. I don't think I'll ever do an OC as a main character—ever. But yeah, I think that if a person goes into depth about their character (which I think I did if trying for three hours to decide how both Feral and April would look like means anything) and stuff then you at least have to give it a go and read it (but then again don't you have to read it to meet the OC? Uhh…) Now then, putting all that stuff aside here's the next Chapter--enjoy!

**Liu Barrowin-**Yes Feral has been 'kidnapped' or other was MIA. Will she show up again? Yes, but as for when and as for who kidnapped her/where she is I can't say (though if you go back and read some you can probably figure it out). And yes, Mithos/Yggdrasill X Genis fluff is always good! There should be more in this Chapter! And face your wrath…-gulp- um…I won't have to since I updated right?

**Mizuki hikari-**Yeah I wish other people'd make fanfics of Genis X Mithos cuz it is popular amongst some people. I mean it has a fan club on dA and the people who reviewed for this story are only _some_ of the fans (though some of 'em like another pairing more than this they still count cuz they like this one, right?) and I mean, 2700 hits? I guess people just don't think they have good writing skills…maybe…or they're embarrassed to put up their work…-cough- uh, anyways…here's the next chapter in all its' glory--enjoy!

**DraNKa-**Glad you liked the fast update! And yeah…for some really odd reason I'm extremely good at writing scenes like that (my sister read the 1st chapter of TU and this chapter cuz it was on the computer when she was on and said I was…). Basically the part at the end, with Mithos all calm and caring and stuff, is supposed to show the readers that he cares more about Genis' safety than revenge—but of course, he will get his revenge.

**Takokinoko-**And yet another new reviewer! Yay! Eh-heh-heh thanks for the compliment! Yes I can say that Mithos will see Genis in a Katz suit. Though not until they get some serious time alone (I highly doubt when Raine finds out that she'll let them have some time alone together) And I'm glad you think that my fanfic—as well as my views on the GenisxMithos pairing—are good enough to fav it! That makes me so happy! And here's the next Chapter—enjoy!

**Nady-Kun-**Eh, yeah, you're right it's the damsel thing all over again—and yeah I made a LOT of people hate Pronyma…but yeah, I'm not killing her off right away and there's a reason for that too. She has one more trick up her sleeve that could-gasp-actually put up some sort of fight against Mithos (now as for what it is…)! And you think you know what the whole thing with the mirror is? Hmm, why don't you tell me about it! You might get half of it right (there's no way you can get all of it right unless you're a psychic…which you aren't…right?). And here's the next Chapter—with its cute an' slightly…suggestive ending! Enjoy!

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Ah yes, detail oriented readers (that's a complement). You figured out that the swirly lights in Genis' Exsphere does have something to do with Feral (or at least, you're the first one to mention it)! Yes Feral is close by (or else the little swirling lights wouldn't be there) but she's not 'inside' of him as she usually is! (So where _is_ she?) Still…I didn't expect someone to notice that but—someone did! Yay! –cough- anyway, here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Me: **I wasn't expecting to get reviews so soon…(I updated the last chapter when it was close to twelve o'clock at night here)

**April: **Well, you did…and does it really matter?

**Me:** Well no, I suppose it doesn't…but it still makes me happy!

**April: **Harmony283 doesn't own Tales of Symphonia or any of its characters. She does, however, own, Feral, the plot and me --so no stealing!

**Authors Note: **Okay then, now that that's all said and done…in this chapter/part Lloyd and Co. talk over what they're going to do once they reach the Tower of Salvation and April finally answers some questions and tells everyone about her past and all that good stuff. And then we go to Genis and Mithos back in Venheim. Genis finally wakes up and they have a little cute moment (implied lime just to let you know) together before they decide that Genis needs to, somehow, get back to Tethe'alla/Sylvarant so that he can be with his friends. But of course, that won't go as planned now will it?

**April: **Well you seem, um, more serious about this…?

**Me: **Eh, that's how I get after doing something torture-ish like I did in the last chapter. But gods, Genis is so going to be scarred when he's older.

**April: **Err…well…but what's he going to tell Raine?

**Me: **Not what _he's_ going to tell Raine. What Mithos is going to tell Raine.

**April: **And you scold us for giving away too much information…

-----------------------

Aprils' POV

The wind rustled through the surrounding trees as an eerie sort of night fell across the small town we were staying in.

Colette, Sheena, Presea and I were staying at Colettes house while Lloyd and the others stayed at his home. I have to say that this town has a sort of…peaceful feeling to it.

Even with the two worlds hanging in the balance it seems that, here, everything moves…slowly and that there aren't many worries.

But of course, I knew there had to be. I mean, when we first entered the village I had seen the burnt buildings and the people bustling around town trying to get supplies to fix these houses.

I knew that people must've died as well.

I shuddered at the thought.

Now I was glad that the people of Heimdall had all been saved.

Though the damage was…a great deal worse, at least no one had to go through the pain of loosing a loved one, or a cherished friend.

But the people in this village had.

Colette had told me some of what happened, at least, some of what she had heard from Lloyd and Genis when they had joined up with them in the beginning.

Apparently it had been Lloyds fault that the Desians from the nearby Ranch had come to the village. They had had a non-aggression treaty to protect Colette—the Chosen. And Lloyd had broken that treaty by going to the Ranch with Genis.

It made me wonder how come Genis hadn't had the blame placed on him. After all Lloyd had followed him into the Ranch, right?

Maybe it was because the only ones the Desians actually saw was Lloyd?

Well Colette did say that he had fought against some of them.

But because of this, and because the Ranch Leader—Forcystus—had seen Lloyds' Exsphere he officially made him wanted.

And that was how they had been exiled from the village.

I sighed, leaning up against a nearby tree, my eyes drifting shut. This place faintly reminded me of my home. Most villagers were not allowed to go into Torent Forest due to the monsters but…sitting here, like this, with my eyes closed, it felt like I was there.

I wonder, did Pronyma like to sit under the trees in the forest as well?

Was she ever frightened of the monsters?

And…how long had she been with Cruxis? The Cruxis Experiments on Elves had happened close to four hundred years ago—when my parents weren't even over 100 years old yet.

"Um, April…?"

I blinked and opened my eyes to see Colette kneeling beside me, "Hmm? What is it Colette?"

"Well, um, dinner's ready…and you looked like you were about to fall asleep…"

"Ah—it is? And yes, I was about to fall asleep…so thank you for waking me up." I smiled at her. She seemed to be doing better, or at least she was _trying_ to do better, than she was back in Heimdall.

But maybe that was because she was here—in her hometown—where people looked up to her.

And I'm sure they did. Who wouldn't? She's the Chosen! Everyone was watching her, at least here they were.

In Tethe'alla they had been trying to kill her.

I got up and dusted myself off, following Colette inside.

About an hour later, we were sitting around the table, talking about idle things.

Presea had told of some things that she used to do when she was younger.

Colette had talked about her childhood in this village and how she met Lloyd and Genis.

And Sheena explained how, ever since her grandfather had found her in the Garoccia Forest when she was younger, she had been trained in the harshest of ways.

"Hey April, why don't you tell us what growing up in Heimdall is like?" Sheena suddenly asked, leaning on the table with a content smile on her face.

"Yeah you're right! The Professor said that she had grown up there, but that she didn't really remember much of it since she only lived there for a short while."

I smiled, "Okay then…besides, I think I do need to explain some things…about me, and my relation to Pronyma."

The girls nodded their heads and leaned in, obviously ready to listen.

"Well, you see, my mother and father were both elves, of course, and they had lived in the village of the elves all their lives, and yet they had only stayed good friends until, well, they met."

"Um, since Pronyma's a half-elf does that mean her father was a human? How does that work? I mean, humans aren't allowed to live in Heimdall, right?"

"that's right. And apparently, from what my mother told me, he didn't. He lived and worked in Ozette as a wood craftsman, much like you were doing, Presea."

"Really…? What was his name?"

"I think it was Raymond, though I'm not sure…"

Presea nodded her head, "I see. There is a…monument—though it's probably gone now because of the fire—for him. It was carved out of Sacred Wood and…placed near the base of one of the biggest trees near the village."

"So he must've been important."

"Yes. They said that he had developed a new way to plant trees and help them grow so that they were stronger. I had…no idea that…he had a half-elven daughter."

"I don't think anyone did. She would've been persecuted if they had." Sheena said, shaking her head sympathetically.

"Yes. And he loved her, as well as any other race of human beings. He, apparently, was a kind man and the elves allowed him entrance to the village in exchange for his woodworking skills. That is, of course, how he met my mother. Though they were both extremely young at the time."

"How young?"

"My mother was barely over twenty and Pronymas father was in his mid twenties. Though, since marrying humans was somewhat forbidden even then, they married outside of the village once my mother had become pregnant."

"How long ago was that anyway?"

"I'm not sure. Though I do know that Pronymas father died in an accident, and that, about forty years later—when my mother was around sixty years old—my mother found another man, an elf this time."

"That's good that she was able to move on."

"Yes but…"

"But?"

"Remember how I said that Pronyma was the indirect cause of my parents death—of our mothers death?"

"Y-yes…you did mention something like that…" Colette murmured, clutching her hands in front of her chest, a look of sadness in her eyes.

"Well…there was an experiment that the members of Cruxis, and the research teams of Tethe'alla wanted to test. Though no one knew much about Cruxis Crystals, they needed to make some and they wanted to test their effects on Elven blood."

"So they stuck Cruxis Crystals on some of the Elves?"

"Yes."

"What…happened to them…?"

"Presea…you were under the powers of a Cruxis Crystal…and that is what happened to some, though others were fine. Apparently it doesn't affect Half-elven blood as much as it does for humans." "I see…so they…tested it out and…?"

"Pronyma, as well as a man by the name of Forcystus headed off the research. Because of my half-sisters participation in this, my mother immediately agreed to help out with the research. My father, who wanted to have some relationship with his step daughter, agreed as well."

"Did they…die…?"

I smiled and shook my head, "No. And they didn't really have any side effects either. They were able to live another 300 years, or at least they were able to live until I was born. Then my father died. My mother…died when I was eight."

"Then who took care of you?"

"My auntie, the inn keeper."

Colettes eyes widened, "Is that why she let us keep Genis and Raine there? Because they're your friends?"

"Well, yeas, that's part of the reason. The other is that the Village Elder asked her to. Which makes me wonder how she's doing."

"Yeah…it's Pronyma's fault that she got hurt and…when she wakes up and finds out that we didn't save Genis…"

"She'll be really upset."

I sighed, "Well we couldn't really do anything about it. Genis made the decision himself to go with Pronyma…because of the fact that Raine got hurt. I won't lie and say that Pronyma is weak. She's definitely gotten stronger since…the last time I saw her."

"The last time you saw her?" all three girls asked in unison, turning their gazes to me.

"ah…yes. I met her once before, when I was seven. She came back saying that she wanted to see our mother—that she heard that she had fallen ill…but…"

"She was there on Cruxis' orders…right?" Sheena asked, balling her hands into fists.

"Y-Yes."

"That's…she was there to see if the Cruxis Crystal had taken affect yet?" Colette asked.

I merely nodded my head.

"That's so…cruel…"

"I know. But…well…she spoke with our mother, and while she did I was out in the forest playing. And then a monster…attacked."

I took a deep breath before continuing, "and Pronyma saved me. She killed the monster."

"I…then how…? She tried to kill you earlier today! But how could she do that when she cared so much about you back then to save you!"

"I don't know…but she did." I sighed, "The majority of her power comes from jealousy. She can do anything—hurt anyone—when she's jealous."

"But…how can we beat that? I mean, we can't exactly stop someone from being jealous can we?" Sheena asked, leaning back in her chair with a confused look on her face.

"That's true and…that's why…I'm worried about Genis."

"Why would Pronyma be jealous at Genis? They're the same race an' all so…"

I shook my head, "It's not about race or magical ability—though Genis is probably stronger than her by now—it's about—ah…no…I can't really say…"

"And why not?"

"I promised."

"But if it helps us get Genis back—and if it helps us beat the crap out of Pronyma—then let's hear it!" Sheena said, slamming her hands on the table top, causing me, as well as Colette, to jump in surprise.

"Ah…well…how should I put it…um…I guess, back when she saved me she said she was taking lessons under Lord Yggdrasill—she said her leader—and she acted really happy and basically like she had a crush on him."

"So she has a crush on Mithos? What does that have to do with—"

"And if I told you that Mithos didn't have feelings for her but for someone else, don't you think she'd be jealous of that 'someone else'?"

Sheena's eyes widened, "N-no way…you mean he has a crush on—"

"Who? Who does he have a crush on?" Colette asked, obviously not getting it.

"Don't worry Colette, you will…find out soon enough." Presea said quickly, shaking her head from side to side in disbelief.

"And now I'm wondering if I needed to hear that…"

"Yes. It…creates other reasons for why Mithos was with Genis all those times. And Raine…is not going to be happy."

"Pfft that's for sure. Though now that I think about it—it makes sense."

"What does? What makes sense?"

"You know, you're really starting act like Lloyd now." Sheena said, shaking her head from side to side, "Besides, at least now we know part of the reason why Pronyma hates Genis. But the other part…about the key…what was that all about?"

I shook my head, knowing full well that, if I said anything more, I would probably pay for it later. Besides, I didn't want to worry them anymore than they already were.

"Don't…worry so much about it, okay? It's getting late and don't you have to send a letter to Heimdall…to Raine…?"

"Ah! You're right! We have to tell her to meet us at the Tower of Salvation! Though, if she doesn't show up we're gonna have to leave her…"

I smiled, "Don't worry. I'm sure she'll be at least capable to come with us. She might not be able to fight but..."

"Like you said, she'll be there. She'll probably be able to comfort Genis more than any of us could."

"I agree."

"Uh-huh. Now why don't we get some sleep? Like you said, it's getting late out."

"Yes…"

I got up from the table, following Colette and Presea up the stairs as Sheena summoned Sylph…but for some reason I knew that I wasn't going to be able to sleep well tonight.

After all, I had told them that Pronyma's jealousy makes her stronger than normal.

But…as for how strong…I didn't know.

And honestly, I hoped Mithos would kill her before we got there.

Because I too, don't want any of my friends to get hurt.

But somehow I knew that wasn't going to happen.

And it unnerved me.

--------------------------

Genis' POV

The first thing I felt when I regained consciousness was a sense of…relief. I didn't feel the tight bind of chains around my neck and I didn't feel that horrible sensation of fear. I, in fact, felt strangely calm.

The reasons behind my calmness were revealed when my sense of feeling came back.

Very familiar fingers were running through my hair.

Mithos.

It was Mithos.

I remembered faintly that I had seen him burst in through…wait…there wasn't a door to the room so I guess she must've put up a barrier…but regardless he had come and he had protected me.

That made me really happy.

I shifted around a little, nuzzling closer to him, burying my face into his chest.

I felt his chest tighten as he breathed in sharply.

"So you're awake?" he asked, his voice holding surprise--most likely at my sudden awakening--and yet gentleness in it. It was no louder than a soft whisper.

"Yeah…I am…"

"Good."

I looked up at him, he was smiling at me. He slipped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him.

He then leaned down and pressed his lips against my forehead.

I smiled, "Thank you…for saving me…"

He chuckled softly, "It's not like I can say 'You're Welcome' for something as big as that but…of course I would protect you. You should know that by now." He nuzzled his face in my hair and, even though I couldn't see his face I knew he was smiling.

He then moved on hand, cupping the side of my face in it. The look in his eye was the same that he had that night when he had saved me from those monsters.

That night when Pronyma kidnapped me for the first time.

Soon after I felt his lips on mine. This time it seemed to be…special…and different than all those other times.

Maybe it was because of the circumstances?

But then again if it had then…it would have felt special when he saved me the first time.

But I hadn't been exactly conscious then…

So maybe this time was special because it was like those two times combined.

And that, logically, made it twice as special right?

Ugh, who was I kidding? You can't tack logic onto love.

Because love isn't logical.

I mean, I love the enemy for gods' sake! That's not logical!

So it was baseless logic?

Man…love really was confusing.

Not that thinking about that right now was doing me any good.

Especially since Mithos had just deepened the kiss we were sharing. That and he had moved into a different position.

Now, if I just so happened to fall backwards I would land on the rest of the couch.

Not the floor.

Woah…wait…that…came out wrong.

I tensed up, the logical/responsible part of my brain took over.

Mithos seemed to notice because he pulled away, "Genis…?"

"Ah…um…uh…" I felt my face heat up as he stared at me, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Genis, what's wro--oh…" He flushed, "I'm sorry you're still…I'm sorry…I--"

"You…?"

"I came on to you didn't I?" His face was scarlet and his words were barley even whispered out.

I flushed.

Well, yeah, that was one way you could put it.

"I-I'm sorry…you just woke up and…Pronyma just…"

Wow, I didn't know Mithos could be this…shy…

I smiled, "It's okay you just, kinda, startled me…that's all. I mean, I'm only twelve years old so of course I've never really had someone do that…to me…" Gods this was so embarrassing to even talk about!

"Yes you are…so young…" he seemed to come to a startling revelation, either that or he remembered something he was supposed to tell me that had to deal with our relationship.

"I…I'm so much older than you. It's hard to believe that you--that someone as young as you--could…well…make me fall in love."

"Well yeah it's true that our ages are far apart in comparison but…" the words just tumbled from my mouth and then…I realized it.

The one crucial part of our relationship--the one thing that could possibly tear us apart.

Raine.

My sister.

If she found out she'd…freak.

Why didn't I come to this conclusion before?

Mithos just sat there, waiting for me to finish, "Genis? What's wrong?"

"What if Raine finds out?"

Mithos smirked, "What _if_ she finds out? I don't care."

"B-but I might not be to see—"

I was cut off.

Not by any actions.

But by Mithos' cold stare.

"And you honestly think that'll keep me away from you?"

Well, from the seriousness in his voice and the way he was looking at me I'd say no.

"N-no…?"

Mithos smiled, running his fingers through my hair once more, murmuring; "That's right" before his lips found mine again.

---------------------------

**Me: **I know, I know. Ubber fluffiness in the end right? You liked it right?

**April: **-giggle- aww…they're so cute! It's nice that they have a moment of peace to themselves before stuff goes out of whack.

**Me: **Yeah, that's true. Though this chapter didn't really go like I thought it would. Man, your past really does take up a lot of space. - -;

**April: **Hey!

**Me: **-shrug- but it's the truth! Now then, R&R please! I love reviews—they make me happy and they make me want to update faster!


	27. What he Meant

**Me: **Here it is…Chapter/Part Twenty-seven

**Feral: **-yawns- yes I do believe it is…

**Me: **-squeal- you're back! –glomps-

**Feral-** Ack! Get off me now.

**Me: **Eh-heh-heh-heh

**To Understand: Part Twenty-seven**

**The Other Mithos**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews: 8 with 101 reviews total and over 2900 hits! –squeal-)**

**Alaia Skyhawk-**I'm glad you liked the fluffy scene with Genis/Mithos! I was worried that I rushed it a bit (I actually typed that part first and then the part about April). And yes, Pronyma will definitely get what she deserves. You'll just have to wait a bit longer for it. As always thanks for the review and here's the next Chapter!

**Mizuki hikari-**I agree with you. It's nice how close everyone in the game is an' all…but unfortunately I don't have any friends like that either (I have friends, but we aren't _that_ close). Well, here's the next chapter, I hope ya like it!

**DraNKa-**Yes it's gonna be awkward-coughspoilercough-especially since Raine'll ask him about it after walking in and finding Genis knocked out on a couch with his head in Mithos' lap-coughendspoilercough-. And yes, nuzzling is all they're gonna do…until maybe the epilogue. Or maybe not! It just depends on how I feel I guess (or if some people convince me to). And I agree with you on the Genis not changing and aging him that way being good for what it's good for (not that I'd know anything about that -shifty eyes- no, I don't know anything at all -cough-). And you drew a pic about that…? Uh…I can kinda picture that but…hmm…well, anyways, here's the next Chapter, enjoy!

**Takokinoko-**I think it was your anxiousness, cuz the chapter was actually longer than some of them (it was 10 pages on word-with ten point font--and most are 9 or 8 pages). But I'm glad you liked it regardless! And yes I try my best to answer every single persons' review--especially if they have questions (though if someone wants an immediate answer/wants to tell me what they think is gonna happen next they can PM me) And you're welcome! Here's the next Chapter so…enjoy!

**Hiranieas-**Chocolate? Where? Where's the chocolate? -cough- Ah, you're gonna have to wait a little longer for Pronymas foretold death, okay…? And Mithos's gonna take Genis' shirt off…? I think he gets enough with what he's wearing now (remember he's wearing one of Lloyds shirts, which is way too big for him, and his black shorts and his shoes) but…the plot bunny…no…get away from me evil chocolate covered plot bunny! -cough-…Uh…heh…got a little carried away there -inhale, exhale- well I'm glad you liked the chapter, and here's the next one! Enjoy!

**Tamago-chan-**And yet again I kinda-sorta-in-a-way convert someone (man I'm good)! And this is one of the first ToS fanfics you've read? Wow that makes me feel special! -giggle- I'm glad you liked it (yeesh, I get more positive feedback than--well--I've never gotten negative feedback and this is my first time writing shonen-ai too, as I'm sure you know from the other chapters) and you say you need an update? Well here's the next Chapter--enjoy!

**Nady-Kun—**Yup! You're my 100th reviewer –gets out BIG bag of candy and hands it out- enjoy! And yeah, Aprils past was long. But yeah, you needed to know about her…and stuff. And yes, age is nothin' but a number…though Raine'll freak out when she hears about their relationship and then she'll say it does matter. - -; Well, anyways, here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Me: **Mweh, heh, heh, this chapter's gonna be fun.

**Feral: **Hmm I suppose so. Now I really am glad I'm MIA for a while…

**Me: **Hey! You might be MIA but that doesn't mean you shouldn't care!

**Feral: **-shrugs- as long as the other me doesn't come out then I'm fine.

**Me: **-sigh- you're so…ugh…whatever! Just do the disclaimer like a good OC, okay?

**Feral: **Fine, fine, I'll do it, I'll do it. Harmony283 doesn't own Tales of Symphonia, she just owns me, April, and the plot. And whoever said that I was good?

**Me: **-gulps- uh…I'm just assuming…?

**Feral: **You should never assume things. -smirk-

**Authors Note: -**backs away slowly- well at least you're not as bad as Pronyma (I hope). Now, in the last chapter we left off where Genis and Mithos were in Venheim. Mithos then thinks about a conversation he had with someone a long time ago dealing with Pronyma and her jealousy and how he wished he had listened. But of course, before anything else can happen the two are led out of the room by a strange sound and-- oh boy didn't you see this one coming--Pronyma caused it. Of course by now you should know that she's gonna kidnap Genis again. But this time she's gonna have a little trick up her sleeve to make Mithos busy. But exactly what is it?

**Feral: **Hmm…it seems like you have a lot to put in this chapter.

**Me: **Well yeah, you get to meet a new (temporary) enemy, and of course I had to put in the little flashback part so people wouldn't get confused on the whole Pronyma jealousy thing. And besides, if I didn't put this stuff in this chapter then it wouldn't have gone with the flow and it would've been choppy.

**Feral: **-nods head- I see. Flow is very important.

**Me: **Yeah, it is. And did I mention that there was even _more_ fluff in this chapter? (though this time it's at the very beginning instead of the ending like last time). Meh, when I fell like writing fluff (which evidently I did at 11 PM last night) I write fluff. Besides what's a little more fluff? I'm sure everyone could use more Gethos fluff anyways! -giggle-

---------------------------

Mithos' POV

I broke our kiss gently and pulled away from a very dazed looking Genis.

Heh, it'd figure. He's never been kissed like _that_ before. Come to think of it, he's never been kissed that much in one sitting.

I smiled as the boy in front of me flushed crimson, stuttering as he tried to create one complete sentence.

"I-I…that…that was…um…" Genis mumbled, looking down and touching his lips gingerly with his fingertips.

"You've never done that before have you?"

Genis shook his head, making me smile, "Well I guess there's a first time for everything, neh?"

Genis nodded his this time, the red in his face smearing like paint.

As much fun as this was…I knew that staying in one place wouldn't be good. Pronyma could show up at any moment and seeing us like this would obviously make her ten times more jealous than, well, than she already was.

And her jealous had already proven to be almost fatal.

Now I wondered why I hadn't delved deep into this 'jealousy' topic when Forcystus had brought it up that time long ago, right after the Cruxis Crystal Elven experiment.

FLASH BACK MODE (A/N: in third person cuz it's easier to write that way)

_'Ah good, you're hear.' A man dressed in a white, spandex suit with long golden hair, it's color resembling that of sunlight, said, his voice hinting at curiosity. _

_Another man, this one had pale green hair, that came to his ears, and a red patch over one eye--one arm was a strange machine._

_This man was Forcystus, the Grand Cardinal over the Iselia Ranch._

_'You called me, my Lord?' the man asked, with an almost knowing tone in his voice. This caused the other man to cock an eyebrow, obviously wanting to know more of whatever they were going to talk about._

_'As you know, the Cruxis Crystal Experiment on the Elven kind has been a success. I am sure you are pleased.'_

_'I am, Lord Yggdrasill. The mission was a complete success.' Now the green haired man seemed sad._

_'You do realize that, had Pronyma not been there, this mission would have failed?'_

_'That is…exactly what worries me, sir.' _

_Yggdrasills curiosity only grew, 'And why would that worry you? She has reached…her _goal_ so to speak. And it was because of you. Does that not make you happy?'_

_Forcystus looked up at the man, slightly surprised, 'Of course it makes me happy to see that someone I helped train has gained that much.' _

_'It also makes you happy because of your feelings doesn't it?' Yggdrasill asked, teleporting so that he stood right behind the other half-elven man._

_'M-my feelings sir? What are you--'_

_'You love her don't you? My, isn't that good for you? She seems to care for you in a similar way.' _

_Forcystus grimaced, 'I highly doubt that.' _

_'And why do you doubt it? I've seen her when you were in the room. She always stares at you and she's always choosing you as company.' _

_'That is because we are friends, sir,' Forcystus said, his voice slightly higher pitched than normal. Then, in a quieter voice he added; 'And that is all I can ever wish from her.'_

_'Oh really? Your story is quite…well…a fairy tale.' Now the leader Cruxis' tone was light hearted and joyful._

_Forcystus sighed, 'There are already too many fairy tales in this world my Lord. There doesn't need to be another one. Besides, her heart lies with someone else.' _

_'And who might that be?' Now Yggdrasills tone carried the same knowing-ness as Forcystus' had._

_'Sir…you haven't noticed…?' the other Half-elf looked quite shocked at this._

_'If you are talking about her feelings in association to me, yes I have noticed.' Yggdrasill smirked, 'Though I dare not say that I have no interest in her.' _

_'Then stop playing with her.' _

_'What was that?'_

_Forcystus took a deep breath, 'I said you should not toy around with her feelings. If you do not care for her the way she wants you to then it can only lead to…well…something horrible.'_

_'You know very well that she is not stronger than I. I could kill her if I wanted to.' _

_Forcystus eyes widened in shock and fear, then it faded, replaced by a sad and knowing look as he shook his head, 'That isn't…she would never hurt you. If you were ever to find another--someone who would make you the happiest person alive…then…' he seemed to cut himself off as he shut his eyes, yet again taking in a deep breath._

_'Then what?'_

_'She would…become jealous.'_

_The blond half-elf smirked, 'Of course she would! Who in their right mind wouldn't?'_

_When Forcystus opened his eyes, even Yggdrasill was shocked at the seriousness lying in their ruby depths._

_'Her jealousy is dangerous, Yggdrasill. She would…hurt--even kill if she could--the person you cared for. She…has already begun to do that to her mother.'_

_Yggdrasill knew he wasn't supposed to be fazed by this. But he was. He would, in time, find one he would consider special--of course no one would be more special than his sister--but this person would come close to that._

_Even cold-hearted Kratos would eventually find someone he cared for._

_It was inevitable. But then again, he had to wonder what Pronymas mother had to do with this._

_'And what does her mother--'_

_'Her mother is an elf, her father was a human. After her father died her mother found another. She is jealous because if they were ever to give birth to a child, she would be of pure race.'_

_But she didn't have a younger sister yet…so why torture her parents?_

_'And she hopes for their death to come quickly?'_

_'Yes. She convinced her mother, as well as those who knew her mother, to go through with the Cruxis Crystal implantation. Though it may take a while for some of them to die.'_

_'And how long is 'a while'?'_

_'About 300 to 600 years at least.' _

_'Hmm, that's still a long time away…' _

_'Yes. I…don't want to think of what she would do to her younger sibling once they were conceived. I don't think I…even want to know.'_

_Yggdrasill sighed, a long drawn out sigh. Now he was wondering if he should have called Forcystus to begin with. After what the green haired half elf had said…it was obvious he was going to detest from his decision._

_'I'm assuming that it's too late to tell you that she will be given a new position.' _

_'And that is?'_

_'She will be the fifth Grand Cardinal--the head of you as well as the others.' _

_Forcystus' eye widened, 'You…ah…she doesn't know does she?'_

_'No. At least, she won't unless you tell her.' _

_'I see…so that's why you called me here.'_

_'Yes, it is.' _

_'Then I shall be leaving now to tell her this…wonderful news.' _

_The man turned to leave but was stopped by Yggdrasills voice saying; 'And to do yourself a favor I doubt telling the other three Cardinals would be in her, or your, best interest.' _

_'I understand my Lord.' _

_'Good, then you may leave.' _

_And he did._

FLASH BACK END

"-ithos…Mithos…?"

"Wh--yes Genis?" I asked, snapping out of my thoughts at the younger boys voice.

"What were you thinking about…?"

I smiled sadly and shook my head, "Just about something someone told me once. It was about Pronyma and her…inclination to get jealous easily."

"So you think she's jealous of me?"

------------------------------------

Genis' POV

"So you think she's jealous of me?" I asked, though I already knew the answer. I mean, why would Pronyma go through all that trouble to capture me that first time if she hadn't been jealous? Now I knew that wasn't the only reason, but I guessed that that made her more inclined to do it.

Mithos gave me a knowing glance, which just confirmed my answer.

"Yes she is."

"Who…who told you about her being jealous? I mean, the Grand Cardinals--the people who she controlled--never seemed that close…they all just shared your views and went by your orders."

That and both Magnius, Kvar, and even Rodyle had wanted her position.

"Can you think of the one person who never once mentioned something ill about her?"

Well that was a good question. Kvar thought she wasn't fit for the job, Magnius, well, he obviously didn't if he wanted her position. And Rodyle obviously hated her because she tricked him.

Wait…I'm leaving someone off aren't I?

And yes I was.

Forcystus, the leader of the Iselia Ranch.

Quite honestly, the only one he said anything bad about--that I knew of anyway--was Kratos, but that was to be expected because Kratos had just betrayed Cruxis.

"Is it Forcystus?"

"Correct." He smiled down at me sadly, "I really should have listened to him."

"What did he…how did he know about Pronyma and her…"

"Back then Pronyma was just a Desian, though she was one of the stronger ones. I…sent them on a mission I called the 'Cruxis Crystal Elven Project' which is the indirect cause of Aprils parents' deaths."

"And…?"

"I made Forcystus the head, and I made him take Pronyma--who had been training under Desian Commanders that worked under him--which is how she got her position as the head of the Cardinals."

"I…see…so they must've been close?"

"Yeah, they were. He was the first to tell me of her feelings for me. Though I didn't really think much of it at the time. He also warned me that when I found my 'special someone' she would become jealous…and as you can see, she did."

I nodded my head, "Yeah, I did. And I don't wanna experience any of that ever again." I shuddered at the remembrance of what happened earlier. I could still feel those cold and dark Mana Chains around my neck.

Mithos' eyes softened, "You know…I'll never let her do that to you again."

"You shouldn't say that. You never know what could happen after she…I mean, she's still here and, if she manages to get you away from me--"

suddenly there was the sound of…something cracking.

"Wha--?"

"Grr…Pronyma must be trying something. Come with me. I don't want to leave you alone."

I nodded my head and followed Mithos out the door and down four flights of stairs to the bottom doorway, where we proceeded through and to the main Lobby area.

My eyes widened. Of course this wasn't my first time in Venheim, but it _was_ my first time to actually look around.

Though what surprised me more was the…really huge black dragon guarding a really huge door up a flight of stairs in the center of the room.

"Um…what is that?"

"That?" Mithos asked, turning to face the sleeping dragon.

"Oh, that's my…well…you could call him a pet. He's extremely loyal. He's the Black Dragon (A/N: I don't remember but is this what that dragons' name is?)

"Y-your pet?"

"Yes. As odd as that sounds, yes."

I would have laughed but the cracking sound drew my attention to the warp point across from the said dragon. It was only a few feet away from us and it was making weird noises.

"That's…strange…it shouldn't be doing that." Mithos said, walking over to it, "It must be affected because of the broken pact."

"Broken pact?"

"I had to break my pact with the Eternal Sword in order for Lloyd and the others to get here."

"Oh."

"Yes 'oh' indeed. It won't do any good for me if your friends show up as well." I froze as I heard that voice and felt that familiar hand on my shoulder.

It was Pronyma.

"Dammit! This was a trap wasn't it?" Mithos cried out, whirling around and forming a ball of magic in his hand.

He then shot it out, knowing that I could still move--which I had definitely planned on doing…

If it weren't for the fact that something black got in the way and deflected that very same attack.

"Wha--?"

"Heh…you honestly thought I'd come unprepared?" Pronyma asked with a hint of amusement in her voice. That's when I felt the same chilling and dark feeling of the mana chains wrapping their way around my body; restricting any and all of my movements.

The black shape formed to reveal…

Mithos…

A black Mithos.

Where Mithos' hair was blond, this…things…hair was black.

Where Mithos' eyes were a bright turquoise this copy's was a strange golden-ish brown.

Their outfits were also different. Where Mithos was wearing what he always wore, this dark Mithos wore black tight fitting pants and a black shirt cut down the front with a long cape draped around his neck. The clasps that held it together were mad of some weird looking combination of Amethyst and Ruby.

He also had tanned skin and two black bracelets on his left arm, one on his right (A/N: I can't remember which sides Mithos had his on but…I'm guess that it was like this--please tell me if I'm wrong and I will change it!)

"Who are you?" Mithos asked, his voice cold as ice as he stared at his counter part.

"Who me? I'm Mitosu** (1)**." The boy said, a smirk forming on his lips, "And I'm here to keep you busy while Pronyma takes the boy."

Well that wasn't good.

"I see. Well let's just see how good you actually are." Mithos said, his voice icy like steel, his eyes showing no emotion except for hatred.

Mitosus' smirk widened and he murmured, "I call forth thine evil blade--Faor's Martyr!"

I felt a strange tingling emotion rush through my veins.

That's odd. I've never even heard of the attack and yet…I know it's one of the five darkness spells in--

My thoughts were cut off as I felt myself being teleported away from the room.

And this time I knew that Mithos wasn't going to get here in time to save me.

What a horrible feeling

-----------------------------

**(1)-**The name for 'Dark Mithos' is actually Mithos' name in Japanese (for those who don't know) and it's thanks to Hiranieas that I found this out! Thank you for telling me (and that's also part of the reason why I asked about them)!

**Feral: **…-sigh- how many times am I going to say this? Ah, well, it needs to be said

**Me: **What needs to be said?

**Feral: **You did it again.

**Me: **Did what?

**Feral: **You added on another chapter.

**Me: **Oh hush.

**Feral: **But you did…

**Me: **Does it really matter? People review for the fanfic so it's good if it's longer, right?

**Feral: **Well I suppose so.

**Me: **I'm glad you agree with me--now then, R&R please! Tell me what ya think and all that good stuff! And like I said before reviews make me happy!


	28. Getting There

**Me: **Now to Part/Chapter Twenty eight! Wow…I'm closing in on 30 chapters--yay!

**April: **Well, yes, that's true…and you also have over 100 reviews! -claps-

**Me: **Yeah I know! -gets out big bag of candy and a big cookie jar- to all of my reviewers! Enjoy!

**To Understand: Part Twenty-eight**

**Getting There**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**DraNKa-**Oh really now? It works for your imagination? –giggle-well yeah, basically it was supposed to! And…as for where the idea of Mitosu came from…originally he was supposed to be created from Mithos' Cruxis Crystal but then something changed and I needed an evil magic swordsman for a certain something and thus he was born. And yes, he's a real person and Pronyma did call for his assistance from…wherever he's from. Well, putting that aside, you're getting the temptation to draw again? Well I don't know if that's a good or bad thing (I read your new dA journal and you said you weren't happy with the way you were drawing now) but well, that's cool that I made you want to draw something! –cough- anyways…here's the next Chapter—enjoy!

**Takokinoko-**Yes Mitosu being added on at the end there really had some people going 'what? Another bad guy?!' but yeah…I'm sure I surprised some people by adding him in there. Eh-heh-heh…I just hope I can do the battle scene between the two without completely screwing it up (battle scenes and me just don't go along together for some reason). And don't worry about liking it when Genis gets captured—it seems wrong—but Mithos is fulfilling his long awaited title of 'Mithos the Hero'! And fluff is fluff. You like it or ya don't. But since you like it it's cool! And yes I'm probably gonna do something about it when they reach Exire (now why would they go to Exire I wonder?) Well anyways, here's the next Chapter—enjoy!**  
**

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Yes a cliffhanger. What's going to happen? Are Mitosu and Mithos gonna battle it out to the death? Or will you even find out about it? Hmm…I wonder. Well, anyways, you ask for an update and I update—enjoy!

**  
Me: **Well then why don't we just get started with the Disclaimer an' all?

**April: **Wow…you don't have anything to say…?

**Me: **No not really.

**April: **Okay then! Harmony283 doesn't own Tales of Symphonia. If she did she'd be outrageously rich and she'd live somewhere really, really, nice! And she'd already have a PS2…the list goes on and on! But of course, she doesn't, and Namco does! But she does own both me Feral and the plot…and of course, she's not making any money off of us (not that I know of, anyway).

**Me: **-cough- No really, I don't make any money writing this…unfortunately. Though it'd be great if I did.

**April: **Oh well, as Feral says 'you can't have everything'! right?

**Me: **You didn't have to sound so cheerful about it…- -;

**April: **-bows head- I'm sorry! I don't know why I'm in such a good mood. -smiles-

**Authors Note: **Bleg…whatever. I've got a BIG headache right now so…yeah. Anyway…in this chapter Kratos asks to join Lloyd and Co. and, of course, they let him. Also Raine gets the letter Sheena sent and decides to leave for the Tower of Salvation. Of course, she has to wait a bit before her friends get there an' all but…-shrug-. Meanwhile Mithos is facing off with Mitosu! Who will be the victor and who will be the loser? Or will we even find out in this Chapter? I DON'T KNOW!

**April: **…is your headache gone now?

**Me: **Ironically enough--it is!

**April: **…that was fast…

**Me: **Well, it's not as bad as it was…

**April: **Ah, I see.

**---------------------------------------**

Lloyds POV

I sighed, looking out my bedroom window. I had just gotten finished talking to Regal and Kratos--the two most responsible men that were here--about this journey.

And then I had planned to fall asleep. But instead I kept wondering why Zelos didn't want to talk to me. He had been sitting out there, on the porch, for at least a half-hour. And I knew now that when he was in a bad mood it was best not to go near him.

"Zelos…" I murmured, sighing yet again.

But this time Zelos actually turned towards me, giving me a 'knowing' look. 

But exactly what he knew that I didn't…well…for one I couldn't help wondering what it was, and second it down right scared me.

After all, he could know just about anything that we didn't know. He had already done that before.

I watched as he walked in through the doorway that led from the balcony straight to my room.

"Hey Lloyd." He said, trying to keep his voice casual, but it wasn't working. At least, for me it wasn't.

And yet he knew that.

"Zelos…? What's wrong? You've been…avoiding me all day."

"That's cuz your father's here."

"So…?"

Zelos just stared at me, "How do you think he would feel if he found out his son was gay?"

Well…he'd probably be surprised but what did that have to do with Zelos avoiding me?

"He'd be surprised but…that doesn't exactly solve the reason why you've been avoiding me. I…I…miss having someone to…talk to." 

And yet again he stared at me.

But this time his lips formed a smile as he moved forward, "I guess one little kiss couldn't be so bad. I mean, who knows what might happen when we get to the Tower of Salvation. But one thing's for sure, we're definitely not gonna have any alone time."

I flushed at this, as well as his suddenly closeness.

It didn't help much that I was sitting on my bed with nowhere to go.

Zelos sat down beside me, cupping the side of my face in his hand, and leaned forward, his lips lightly brushing mine before he added full pressure to them.

"Lloyd--ah…what's going on here?"

I froze.

It was Kratos.

Oh crap! 

Zelos pulled away from me hurriedly. He seemed scared but he faked anger as he said, "What do you think is going on here?"

Kratos sighed, "I'm assuming you were trying to make a move on my son. Either that or this…has been going on a long time?" He voiced the last part like a question…and yet, it came out more like a statement.

"Um--uh…" 

"So what if it's been going on a while. What'll you do about it?"

"I don't suppose I'll do anything." Kratos said, shaking his head from side to side, "But anyway. Lloyd I wish to ask you something."

He sounded serious and I gulped, "Uh…y-yeah…sure…"

"Is it all right with you if I join you?"

Wait…what?

He wants to join us again?

"Hey! Did you just come up with that when you saw—" 

"No I didn't. That was my intent when I was looking for you earlier."

"Wait…so you mean--"

"I'll excuse myself now. It seems like I interrupted something anyway."

Wait a second…was that…was Kratos…_teasing_ us? It sounded like it.

But he had already turned and round and started his decent down the stairs before I could see the expression on his face.

A few minutes of silence passed between us as we watched the red headed man walk the rest of the way down the stairs.

Then Zelos spoke up; "Well that was…odd."

I nodded my head, "Uh…yeah. S-so I guess this doesn't…bother him…"

Zelos looked over at me and nodded his head, running a hand through his red hair, "Yeah, I guess it doesn't. Though it kinda worries me as to _why_ it doesn't bug him."

"Huh?"

Zelos just sighed and shook his head, "Yeesh! You're so dense…I'm saying that, well, if he was used to it, doesn't that mean that he's normally around people like us…?"

"You mean he's normally around g-gay people?"

Zelos nodded his head, "I don't mean to put us out or anything…but…it's a possibility…who do you know he hangs around with most of the time…?"

"Um…you mean who he spent the most time with?"

"Yeah."

"Mithos…?"

Zelos nodded his head again, "And this is just a sneaking suspicion but I think Yuan's bi…so…"

"Wait a second…Mithos went to go save Genis."

Zelos blinked, "Okay now what are you getting a--"

"And Genis is a guy."

"--Oh…"

wait…did I just say that…?

"Raine's gonna freak…"

"You're right. I don't think it's good to get the Ultra Cool Beauty angry…" 

"No it's not."

A few more seconds passed between us as we just stared at each other. I knew Genis was probably gonna be fine. I mean, Mithos…didn't seem to like lying now that he was 'good' but…still. I couldn't get the image out of my head of him doing something more to Genis.

I shuddered.

Then a sudden almost revalation hit me.

What if Genis liked Mithos the same way?

I couldn't think much more on that topic because of a certain redheaded Chosen pouncing on me and pushing me back onto the bed.

I gasped, "Wha--mmph!"

Downstairs Kratos just sighed, shaking his head.

Dirk blinked, looking confused.

And Regals' face just paled as he turned hurriedly and walked out through the front door out into the semi-cool night air.

------------------------------------

Raine's POV

I groaned and sat up in bed.

Wait--bed? When did I get in a bed?

I opened my eyes slowly, trying to adjust to the slight dimness of my surroundings.

Though the first thing I noticed was…the smell.

Wood.

Once my eyes adjusted I looked around and found that I was still in Heimdall.

Because this was the Inn there.

"Oh…but…wait…why am I…?" I shook my head, trying to recollect my memories from what happened…was it yesterday? My internal clock told me it was early in the morning, so yes it would be yesterday.

But most of it was foggy.

I remembered getting hurt…and…and…Genis…

Where was Genis?

I looked around at the following beds in the room.

And no one was there.

So everyone else had left as well.

But where did they go?

And was Genis safe?

I shook my head, I had too many questions that needed to be answered! But first I needed to calm myself down. I walked over to the nearby window and looked out, hoping that the view would calm me.

But instead it only worried me more.

Not only was the sky--was that a planet--different.

The Tower of Salvation was gone.

I stepped back from the window, "It…what…what's going on?"

"I see you're awake now."

I turned to the doorway, an elderly woman with silverish blue hair and grey eyes stood there under the open doorframe.

She had a letter in one hand and a cup of some sort of warm liquid in the other.

"And you are…?"

The woman seemed sad but she just shook it off, walking forward.

"Your name is Raine, right?"

I nodded my head, "Yes it is. And I demand to know what's going on here!"  
The woman chuckled, handing me the letter and placing the cup on the bedside table.

"Read that letter first, hopefully it will answer some of the questions you want answered."

I opened the makeshift envelope and pulled out a letter. It was in Sheena's writing and it read:

_Dear Raine,_

_I know you're probably wondering what in the name of Martel--or any other goddess that's out there--is going on. And I'm probably not the best one to try to explain this to you. But I'll try._

First of I'm sure you noticed that we're gone. We already went on ahead to Dirks house to get the Aionis made into a, well, it's a ring apparently. We're spending the night here and then we're going to the Tower of Salvation tomorrow. Lloyd wants you to meet us there if you're well enough. 

_Second, well, Genis is gone. After Pronyma's attack hurt you he actually said he would go with her so that no one else would get hurt. But don't worry! Mithos has gone after them!_

_And you're probably wondering why you have to trust Mithos. Well apparently, thanks to Genis, there's another way to revive Martel and he knows how to do it. So now Mithos wants to help him with it and…he's good now. _

_Finally yes the Tower of Salvation in Tethe'alla is gone. And that big mass of Mana--the big planet looking thing in the sky--is Derris Kharlan. The Tower of Salvation was obviously a link from the world to Derris Kharlan. But only angels can teleport to it, which means no humans can unless they use the Eternal Sword. Mithos had to break his pact with the Eternal Sword by breaking the 'link' between the two places._

_And as for how that Comet--which is what Kratos called it--is Derris Kharlan…I think it'd be better off if you didn't ask. Because, well, it's always been there. If you want more information on it, ask the elves._

_PS--your Rhieard is in the back of the Inn since that was the only place in Heimdall not destroyed by the debris from the Tower of Salvation. You should think about heading out once you read this. _

I sighed.

So they…got the ring made. And…they said I should trust Mithos.

Well he hasn't done anything particularly bad. But…the other way.

What in the name of Martel--I laughed bitterly, she doesn't exist anymore…

But…what did Genis find out?

"Did that letter answer some of your questions?"

I smiled at the woman and nodded my head, "Ah…yes…it did. But they said I needed to hurry." The woman nodded her head in understanding.

"Okay then. But first drink this. Yes April healed most of your wounds before you left but there might still be some pain."

I nodded my head, picking up the cup, "So April went with Lloyd and the others?"

"Yes. She said that you needed to rest. You also need to rest when you go to the…well…wherever you're going. April said that you might have healed--but like what happened to Genis--you shouldn't move around too much." 

"I…see…" I lifted the cup to my lips, the lukewarm concoction sloshing up against my lips, and drank.

I felt the familiar gel-like feeling I did whenever I used Gels to heal my wounds. So was this some form of that?

Obviously it was.

I finished the drink and handed the cup back to the woman, "Is that…?"

"Made of Gels? Yes. I found it easier to take a large assortment of Gels when they're in liquid form. Now then, you should get ready. It's close to noon…not that anyone can tell with Derris Kharlan blocking the sun."

I nodded my head, "Yes…it's hard to believe that that's really the place that Elves originally came from."

"Well it is. Unfortunately now Half-Elves have complete control over it…" 

I shook my head, "That may be true, but it's not like that anymore. Mithos--the leader of Cruxis is--"

"Is?"

"My younger brothers friend. And, of course I'm sure you've heard, he's good now."

"Yes I heard. Though no one here is as old as that boy is the Elder has told us…now I will leave as you change. Your old outfit was…well…the top was nearly destroyed from that womans' attack so we have exchanged it for another outfit…one that you already had in your bags. I'll go get them now."

She walked out of the room and was back in a few seconds carrying what seemed to be--oh…it was _that_ outfit. The one I wore in Asgard.

"Will this do?"

I nodded my head, "Yes, that will do. Now I'll change."

In a few minutes I had the outfit securely on my body and I turned and walked out into the lobby area of the Inn. I saw my things over on the table top, and I gathered them up.

"Well, I guess all I can tell you is good luck." The woman seemed sad. I turned to face her and I smiled a reassuring smile--or at least I hoped it was.

"Don't worry I'll be okay. But…it makes me wonder. Who exactly are you?"

"Oh I didn't introduce myself did I? My name is Rita."

That name…sounded so familiar.

Then it hit me, "You're--"

Rita shook her head, "Now isn't the time for a family reunion. After all, not all of your current family is here. Now go."

I nodded my head and rushed off, going into the back of the Inn and boarding my Rhieard. I then took a deep breath and flew off in the direction of where the Tower of Salvation once stood.

When I reached the entrance I was surprised.

I could have sworn my friends would be here waiting for me.

But they weren't.

I sighed and shook my head, walking up the stairs, "I guess I should wait for the--"

"Raine!" someone cried out from some ways off.

I then heard the sound of multiple Rhieards flying towards me. I looked up and saw Lloyd and the others riding on Rhieards…as well as Kratos flying on his wings.

I see…so he was going to join us?

That didn't surprise me.

He was after all, Lloyds' father. He would probably be worried if he didn't follow.

Aprils Rhieard--which was actually Genis'--landed first and she, quiet literally, jumped off it and glomped me.

Which caused me to almost fall backwards onto the stairs.

"Ack--?"

"You're okay! I'm so glad!" April murmured, smiling up at me before detaching herself.

"Ah…um…yes…but…where were you?" I asked, standing up and looking at each person in our now group of nine.

"Ah well—"

"We were in—"

"Altimira."

"And why would you be in Altimira?"

"Does the term 'stalking' come to mind?" Zelos asked, wrapping an arm around Lloyds shoulders carelessly.

Which in turn made Colette look sad and Sheena give them a weird look.

Kratos seemed fine with it though.

"And why exactly where you in Altimira stalking someone…? Or should I ask who that unfortunate person was?"

"He was the guy who sold Genis the pendant Mithos took."

"Pendant…?" 

"Oh…that's right…you were unconscious when that happened." April whispered from beside me.

"So Mithos has Genis' pendant…and you don't know why he has it?"

"Not...really. Only that it has something to do with 'the other way' to revive Martel." Zelos said, shrugging his shoulders and pulling Lloyd—a very happy yet nervous looking Lloyd—closer.

"Oh really? Hmm, I wonder exactly what this 'other way' includes…" 

"Then why don't we go and find out? I mean, Lloyd needs to make a pact with the Eternal Sword and we're just wasting time." 

"That's true." I turned around then, and walked up the stairs followed by April, Colette, Sheena, Presea, Regal, and finally Lloyd and Zelos.

We were finally going to go to Venheim.

I just hoped Genis was alright.

---------------------------------------

Lloyds POV

I followed Zelos up the stairs to the seal room, knowing full well what would happen next. It was, after all, what I had intended to do since, well, since we _learned_ about the Eternal Sword and how it was used.

Saying that I wasn't nervous would be a lie.

I was definitely nervous.

But I had to do this! Besides, I had the ring now didn't I? With this I should be able to wield the blade.

I walked forward, my friends parting away to leave a small pathway.

Now I was standing in front of the sword.

_'Who are you?'_ the sword asked, _'My previous owner broke his pact. What is the new pact?' _

"Ah--I want…to use you to restore the worlds to normal and to revive the Great Kharlan tree."

There was silence for a few seconds, then the blade spoke again, _'Fine. I trust my powers to you.'_ I smiled.

That had definitely gone better than planned.

I removed the sword from its resting-place, raising it above my head.

Then, almost magically, it lifted itself into the air and started glowing.

And shrinking.

Wait…what was going on?

The Eternal Sword then split into two small spherical balls of light.

One seeped into the Vorpal blade that Dirk had made me.

And the other into Flameburg--the blade Kratos had given me.

"Cool! Now I can wield the Eternal Sword easier!" I said grinning.

I then motioned for everyone to come over to me.

They did and I shouted, "Eternal Sword, take us to Derris Kharlan!"

_'As you wish.'_

We were instantly teleported to the said Derris Kharlan.

Though I had expected to arrive in Walugia--we arrived in a strange place.

The sky around us was an eerie purple, like the sky on the surface world, and there was one pathway, made of some type of rock, leading out, though it was very narrow.

I walked forward, over a strange pattern in the ground, and to the walkway.

Zelos followed close behind me, grabbing my wrist as I stepped onto the said pathway.

"Wha--?"

"Lloyd it's--"

"Ah! What is this…?" I heard Colette cry out from behind me and I turned…

Only to see everyone, excluding Zelos, and me trapped by some sort of barrier.

"Crap! I knew something like this was bound to happen!" Zelos muttered looking rather…well…pissed off.

"Lloyd, this is the Derris Emblem! You need to find a way to--" Kratos disappeared.

"Wha--?"

"Lloyd, Zelos, don't worry about us! We'll be fine--" then Colette and Sheena disappeared.

"They are right. You need to find Genis and find a way to--" Presea and Regal

"Just…find my brother okay? Like Kratos said this is a trap but we should--" 

"--be fine!" April finished before both she and Raine disappeared.

I just stood there, shocked.

"Wha--?"

"It's the Derris Emblem, like Kratos said." Zelos said, turning to face me, his expression serious.

"Okay but…how do we--"

"I'm not sure how we get them back, but from what I learned from Yuan and Kratos--this Derris Emblem is actually a trap/ guarding system to the route to Venheim. So we need to save them first--unlike what Colette said." 

"I…yeah, but _how_?"

Zelos shook his head, "I'm not so sure about that either. But Kratos did go through this once a long time ago apparently. I think it was shortly after Anna--your mother--died. Apparently Mithos got angry at him for betraying him and so he put him through that as punishment." 

My face paled, "But what exactly does it do?"

"It…well…it has something to do with you--or anyone who's in it--seeing their past or someone from their past. It could also be someone of great importance to that person."

"That…doesn't seem so bad."

"Yeah it doesn't but I think Mithos--along with Pronyma--tinkered with their images a bit and made it seem like they had joined Cruxis and that what anyone else was doing was hopeless."

"That doesn't make any sense."

Zelos shrugged, "I know it doesn't but I'm guessing here, remember? I've never been through it before but it must be painful."

"Then we have to save them! And then we have to get Genis back!"

Zelos sighed, "Yeah you're right. As much as I hate that brat--Pronyma isn't someone I'd want to hang around with all day. I've heard that she's a mastermind when it comes to tricks and that she was the one who created the ideas for the traps you guys got stuck in when I…when we went to the Tower of Salvation in Tethe'alla."

My face paled.

What in the name of--what was Genis going through right now?

"Grr…we're wasting time talking! Let's get going!"

I turned around and ran off down the path, Zelos following close behind me.

Why did things have to turn out like this when I thought things were going so well?

-------------------------------

Mithos' POV

"Genis!" I moved forward, only to have Mitosu stop me by holding the tip of his dark blade at my throat.

"Dammit! Let me go!"

"It's too late. And like I said, I'm supposed to keep you busy. Pronyma's the only one who knows how to get what we want from the boy."

"But what _do_ you want from the boy…?"

Mitosu was silent then, as if contemplating what he should or should not say.

"Your world…is split in two right now isn't it?"

I blinked…what did that have to do with Genis?

"Yeah it is, so?"

Wait did he say my world…? So he wasn't from this world?

"Hmm, and you're trying to get it back together?"

"I'm not. But someone else is. Though I don't see how it matters since you aren't even from this world." 

Mitosu smirked, "Ah well, I let that slip now didn't I? Well yes, I am from a…alternate dimension. But quite contrary to your beliefs, this world is direly important for what we want to achieve in my world."

"And what would that be?"

"War." 

"And what does bringing Tethe'alla and Sylvarant to peace have to do with—oh…"

"I see you finally get it. When my world is at peace, yours is at war. They are counter parts, like you and I, and yet they are different, like you and I. And yet again I wonder why I'm even telling you this."

I shook my head, "You tell me. I asked and you answered."

Mitosu glared at me, a red streak of…anger…flashed through his amber colored eyes.

He then pressed the tip of his blade even closer to my neck, nearly drawing blood. So why was I just standing here? I was the one who created the worlds as they were now…I would obviously be stronger than this...person.

But then again, he was my counterpart.

He could be just as strong as I was.

But letting him have the upper hand wasn't exactly the way prove that he was as strong as me.

I leapt back a few feet, and, almost like a trained dog, he followed.

What an idiot. You never get close to an enemy unless you know their weaknesses and their strengths.

But wait…since he was close to me, that meant I was close to him and…this situation was dangerous for me as well.

"Punishment!" I cried out, a huge dome of Light magic surrounded me, sending my counter part flying.

I smirked, "So what did you think of that?"

"Heh…it was good. Unfortunately…" he stood up, dusting himself off, "It didn't work."

And it hadn't.

He…wasn't even scratched.

"Wha--" 

"I'm immune to any and all Magic. So--even though your magic is light based it has no effect on me."

Well that definitely wasn't good.

But I couldn't loose!

Mitosu teleported from his position across the room to the space right in front of me. I felt the familiar cold feeling of his blade on my neck.

"So you're going to kill me?"

"That's the plan." 

He raised the blade and swung downwards.

Did he really think I'd go down that easily?

I smirked and punched him in the stomach, making him gasp and drop his sword.

Then something happened.

I wasn't sure what but…suddenly it felt really warm in here.

And my head hurt.

My eyes widened as an image formed in my mind.

It was of a girl--she looked to be about six years old--with brownish red hair and ruby red eyes. She was laughing and dancing around a small courtyard wearing a dress made of red satin and crème colored lace.

Then there was a man--he looked to be in his early to mid thirties--he had jet black hair and brown eyes. A woman was standing next to him. She had the same reddish brown hair and red eyes as the young girl.

These must be her parents but--

Just as soon as the image came, it left.

I staggered backwards, finally hearing the clanging sound of metal against tile.

Once my vision focused I saw that Mitosu had acted in a similar way.

"You…you…" his breath was ragged, his eyes, when he looked up at me, were dialated.

But why?

Was it because he saw something to?

"What…was that?"

His eyes widened, "You mean you…saw something as well?"

"Yeah…I did." 

"What--what did you see?!?" he sounded angry and scared at the same time.

Though he never made a move to come at me.

But I knew that, whatever that image was that I saw--that image of that family--must have been of some importance to him.

Maybe it was of his past?

But if it was…then did that mean he saw something of my past as well?

"I saw a family." 

"Fa…mily…" he voiced out, suddenly seeming so…child like.

But that smirk that spread on his face definitely was not child like.

"I see you…are the famous 'Lord Yggdrasill' and the 'Hero of the Great Kharlan War'?"

I winced.

So he had seen some type of memory recollecting those two things. But as for which one…

"You need to be more specific."

"And why do I need to be specific when you weren't?" he asked with an edge to his throat. He didn't have his sword with him, but I was sure he knew at least some defense techniques.

"Why should I care about the specifics? Or why you want them? I saw a family. That was all. Now let me leave."

"And as I've already said; I can't allow that. Not only would I get chewed out by Pronyma, but also--" he cut himself off, shaking his head, "You're changing the subject."

"I am not changing the subject!" Boy did that sound familiar.

"Tell me what you saw or else!"

"Or else what?"

Before I could say another word Mitosu had, yet again, teleported right in front of me.

And somehow his sword had gotten back into his hand.

"Or else…I can't guarantee that you'll live any longer."

Well…I didn't want to die, because if I did then I wouldn't be able to save Genis.

But I was bending to his will too easily!

Wait…no one said I had to tell him everything.

"It was a family of three. The mother and the father were hidden under a tree so I didn't see them clearly. But there was a young girl playing."

"And what did this girl look like?"

"She had brown hair…I didn't see her eye color."

Mitosu just stared at me, as if thinking over what I said--trying to figure out if it was a lie or not.

Finally he gave in, pulling the blade away from my neck, but still having it pointed at me.

"I see…so that's all you saw?"

I nodded my head, "yes it is."

Mitosu shook his head, another smirk forming on his lips, "Unfortunately that's still too much."

He then murmured something under his breath and--

I couldn't move.

"And the penalty for knowing too much is death. So, I'm sorry but…you're going to have to die."

--------------------------------------

**Me: **…you probably hate me now don't you?

**April: -**oO- Y-you…you…Mithos…

**Me: **Calm down April…it's just a cliffhanger!

**April: **-inhales/exhales- you…you'd better be right. No one's supposed to die except Pronyma, right? You didn't change that part did you?

**Me: **Right! And no I didn't change that part. So don't worry too much about it!

**Mithos: **And why wouldn't she worry? You have me to where I can't move and that guy's about to kill me! I'd be worried!

**April: **Oh hi Mithos.

**Me: **Squee! Mithos!

**Mithos: **…? Oh…so you're the one writing the script.

**Me: **Yup! And by the way…where's Genis?

**Mithos: **…I don't know…I'll go look for him -teleports away-

**Me: **…that was…quick. -cough- well anyway! R&R Please! I love reviews and I love hearing what people think!


	29. Fighting Back

**Me: **Here it is--Chapter/Part Twenty-nine! And then next it'll be Chapter thirty!

**Feral: **…you sure are excited about getting to Chapter thirty.

**Me: **Well…I've never gotten this far on a fanfic before! So yeah I'm happy!

**Feral: **I suppose so…but you still have Mithos' life on the line here.

**To Understand: Part Twenty-nine**

**Ones Reflection**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**Alaia Skyhawk-**I'm evil? Or is the plot evil? Hmm, not that it matters but…the suspense is killing you _again_? That's…still not good (I've really got to stop killing my readers 0.o). Anyways, thanks for the review and here's the next Chapter--enjoy!

**Azure-chan** (I'll call you this since you said you'd be going by this for a while)-Yup I updated! And as for if Pronyma will do anything bad to Genis…I can't really say but yeah Mithos will kill her and yes they'll get back together…and of course a happy ending has to follow after all this angst right? Right. And yeah, I felt sorry writing this but, hey, I wanted to try my hand at Lloyd X Zelos but I still like Colette X Lloyd…so…I made it onesided. And no 'Twilight Puronema' doesn't suit her, but meh, nothing you can really do about it now. But thanks for telling me that! I'm sure I'll be able to use it…somehow…-ponders-well, anyway, here's the next Chapter so enjoy!

**Takokinoko-** Ah yes the reason they're going to go to Exire. Well I can't tell you why but I can give you a hint! Mithos mentions--in Chapter Twenty-seven (I think)--about how he wished Forcystus was still alive but he didn't know how to bring back the dead. That's all I'm gonna say but you should know what talking about (he mentions it right after that). And yes, that first part was supposed to make people laugh (it made _me_ laugh--and worry--cuz of Kratos…I can never keep him in character but I did!). And yes Mitosu's more than just a 'dark clone' though you won't really figure out much about him right now. You will later though (and that family scene that Mithos saw is VERY important)! And about Mitosu hating Genis, well, he never really meets him, but when he does he kinda freaks cuz he reminds him of someone. And that's all I'm gonna say for that. But yeah, I'm glad you liked the chapter and here's the next one so enjoy!

**DraNKa-** -snicker- heh, that's funny! Yeah a lot of people think Yuan's gay (not that I'm disagreeing with that or anything but in this fic he's gonna be bi). And that'd be a funny way for Kratos to find out…-cough-And yeah, that was the longest Chapter in TU so far (it was 16 pages on Microsoft word with 10 point font). Ironically enough I usually like to write stuff around this length…but I haven't lately so it feels great to get that out of my system! And about Mitosu…that's supposed to be confusing cuz you know nothing about him. As for when you'll figure him out…you'll find out some in this chapter but that's about all until the sequel (yes there's gonna be a sequel) so yeah, you'll have to be calm a bit longer. And yeah, Mithos and the Eternal Sword…mixing those two together really screwed things up. But hey! At least Mithos is good now and Lloyd has the Eternal Sword right? And I definitely agree with you. Derris Kharlan was…well…boring. Everything else was like you had something to do all the time but then…yeah. -cough- well, here's the next Chapter so--enjoy!

**Me: **Whoo…my hands cramping up!

**Feral: **Well too bad. Try stretching it out.

**Me: **you're so cold T.T

**Feral: **Well I've been MIA for the past couple of chapters of course I'd act that way towards you -glares-

**Me: **-gulp- uh, um…

**April: **Um, I don't really know what's going on but I'll do the disclaimer! Harmony283 doesn't own Tales of Symphonia or any of its characters. Namco does. The only things she does own are Feral, me, the plot and now a PS2!

**Me: **Yay! I can finally get Tales of the Abyss (when I get enough money for it - -;)

**Feral: **And what exactly are you doing here April?

**April: -**oO- you really aren't in a good mood today, are you?

**Feral: **No I'm not.

**Authors Note: **-sigh- Feral, don't start something…uh, -cough- anyway, in this chapter it focuses on Genis and Pronyma. Basically Pronyma wants to awaken the Other Feral but Genis doesn't want her to--and he fights back. Also Mithos and Mitosu...the last time we left them it seemed like Mithos was going to die. But what happens when Pronyma shows up--wounded--and Mithos is suddenly freed from that binding spell? Also, who is that weird lady he sees in Mitosus past?

**Feral: **That was short…not that I care.

**Me: **well it's very straight and to the point.

**April: **Which is a good thing!

**Mithos: **I'm not gonna die am I? I still need to save Genis.

**Genis: **Yeah! He does! I'm the damsel in distress remember?

**Me: **Well yeah you are and you'd look even more like a 'damsel in distress' in this dress! -snicker-

**Genis: **-disappears/reappears wearing a light blue dress- Hey!

**Mithos + April: **You look so cute! -smirk (Mithos)- -giggle (April)-

**Feral: **No…he looks like me…

**Me: **Well…that's true. - -;

**------------------------**

Genis' POV

"Agh!" I cried out as Pronyma threw me down to the ground. It hurt twice as much just because of the fact that my arms were bound and I couldn't use them to break my fall.

"Oh shut up boy." Pronyma spat, walking ahead of me into the room.

"Wh-what do you…want with me?" How ironic that I was asking this.

I mean, I knew she wanted me because I was the 'key' or the 'missing piece' to something. As for what that 'something' was…I had no idea.

But I did know that it had something to do with Ferals…'other side'. After all, if it didn't wouldn't Feral be here?

She told me once that she had been trapped in a mirror piece, which is the piece that I had found in the Ymir forest when I had nearly drowned, and that I needed that in order to release her.

I'm assuming she meant that she wanted me to break that piece so that she could be free.

But what about her other side? Would it be freed as well? I knew she was powerful, I mean, she nearly tore me apart last time because of that power but…it'd be dangerous to have that type of power released into the world.

Then again, how _was_ I going to get that piece of mirror back anyway? Pronyma had it, and she needed both of us in order to get whatever it was that she wanted.

That still didn't explain why she needed me though.

I mean, couldn't _she_ break the mirror piece and release Feral?

But would Feral want that?

Hell no. Who would want to finally be freed only to have to do whatever Pronyma--or rather whomever Pronyma worked for--wants them to?

Not me, that's for sure. But right now I was being forced to.

I glanced down at the chains around my body. She already knew that I couldn't break free from them, and since they were controlled by her Mana then she could control it even without watching me.

So that basically destroyed any hopes of me freeing myself.

Suddenly I felt like laughing.

Feral was right. I really did depend on people to protect me.

I really couldn't protect myself.

How sad.

How unbelievably sad. Once this was over I knew that I was going to definitely have to train under someone…to learn how to use a sword or a spear…or _something_.

I sighed once more, this really was what it felt like to be weak.

I didn't like that at all--calling myself weak.

Because I _wasn't_ weak! And I _knew_ that.

Talk about a blow to my pride.

I thought back to what Mithos was doing. If I wanted him to save me then he'd have to beat that 'dark Mithos'. But…I wonder if he can.

What am I saying? I have to have confidence in him! He _will_ win!

"Hey!" Suddenly I was jerked up by the collar of the shirt I was wearing and brought to eye level with Pronyma.

"What…?" I wheezed out, feeling the mana chains bite into my skin through the thin layer of cloth that made up the sleeves of the tunic.

Now I wished that I had had the time to change back into my regular outfit because Lloyds tunic that he had let me borrow really wasn't doing me any good in forms of protection.

"Nng."

"Oh, does that hurt? Well you should get used to it because the type of pain you're going to go through very soon is…shall I say, much worse than anything these chains can do."

"Y-You mean it's worse….than ch-choking to d-death…?" I gasped out as the wounds on my arms started to bleed, as well as the old wound on my back.

"Yes…it _is_ worse than death by choking. You'll be _begging_ for death by the time this is over." Pronyma smirked, "Not that I care or anything. I mean, you're of no use after this is over anyway."

I bowed my head. Man, she really _was_ cruel. It was hard to believe that April was related to this woman.

They were so different.

Then I remembered something Feral said about her other half. She had told me something about her only being controlled by the 'seal'.

Or did I hear that when the 'evil' Feral had taken over my body?

I couldn't remember.

But…it was worth it if it kept me alive…

"What if…what if she doesn't listen to you?"

Pronymas eyes widened, "What--? How do you…?"

"I'm not stupid. I know that you obviously want me because of the person who woke up inside of me that one time. After all, you said that I was the key, and if she had awoken in anyone else then you wouldn't need me."

"Well that's true…my, you really are smart for your age…just like Lord Yggdrasill told me once. It's too bad though, Mitosu should be finishing him off right about now."

My eyes widened, "Wh-what?"

"That's right. The boy we saw who was going up against Lord Yggdrasill is his counterpart--Mitosu, wielder of Faors Martyr and an immobilization specialist."

"So he…wields one of the f-five…most power…ful…darkness weapons…and he…can p-prevent…movement…by c-casting a…si-simple…spell. Just l-like you…wield another of the…GAH!"

She had dropped me, more like threw me, onto the floor.

"How--how do you _know_ that?!"

I blinked, staring at the floor.

"I don't see why I have to…a-answer…that." I wheezed, feeling the chains around me tighten even more, now I could feel blood trickling down from the wound in my back, as well as feel a new wound forming on my chest. And my ribs hurt.

Dammit! I had to get out of these chains if it was the last thing I did! It was already obvious that any form of talking wasn't going to persuade her to let me live any longer.

And if what she said about Mithos is true then…I can't really rely on him to come any time soon. But I really didn't think he'd die.

If he did--

I shook my head violently, clearing my mind of those thoughts. Since he had turned good, there was no real reason for Lloyd and the others to kill him so I definitely didn't want him to die now!

He was actually granted a second chance! There's no way in hell that I'd let…that I'd let him loose that so soon!

"Well then I guess I'll just have to force it out of you." I felt myself being raised into a standing position.

"Now then, all I need you to do is place this mirror piece where there is none on this mirror. If you don't I can torture you with this chain so I wouldn't dare disagree."

But if I put that missing mirror piece back with the original mirror…didn't that mean that the Dark Feral would wake up?

That…wasn't good.

And I definitely didn't want to be the cause of releasing that kind of power into this world!

"N-No!"

"Oh really now?"

The chains around me tightened and I coughed.

"N…no…I w-won't…"

"Hmm, you really are persistent."

"B-because I don't…want…to…" I paused, noticing that my Exsphere/Cruxis Crystal was acting weird. It seemed that the swirling light inside of it had…grown brighter.

"You don't want to? Oh and why not? The pain will be over quicker that way." And again she had that humorous tone to her voice--and that led to the chains tightening again.

"I don't care…about that. I don't want to…release that kind of power into this world!" The light got brighter, and now Pronyma noticed it.

I felt a warm tingling sensation flow up from that hand to the rest of my body, and suddenly that…the Chains didn't hurt.

Then I felt the searing pain…

My wings had come forth again.

Pronyma gasped, "N-not again!" she cried out, looking frightened.

"I said I didn't want to. Even you wouldn't know how to control the person trapped in that mirror." My voice was no louder than I whisper. And the swell of mana in my body only grew.

"Y-you…d-dammit!"

"You aren't going anywhere…"

"What?"

"Prism Indignation!" I cried out.

Suddenly five swords crashed down onto Pronyma, followed by a huge lightening strike.

Since when did I know how to do that…?"

Pronyma…didn't even scream.

I waited until the smoke cleared only to see her wounded form on the ground.

She was still alive.

But…how…?

She looked up at me, blood seeping out of the many wounds now apparent on her body. Her purple eyes now a lighter shade than normal, were wide and dilated.

But she also…had…something…surrounding the ground below her. It was a Dark Magic Circle.

So she had protected herself.

I sighed softly to myself, feeling the Mana drain out of my body. It left me feeling strangely light now that the excess Mana that I had suddenly gotten from my evolved Exsphere had drained away.

I fell to my knees and then onto the cold ground in a dead faint.

But right before that I heard the sound of Pronyma teleporting out of the room.

That and the sound of a mirror cracking.

---------------------------

Mithos' POV

I stood there, unable to do anything as Mitosu walked, like a stalking cat, towards me. An eerie kind of silence filled the room and I knew that, if I didn't do something fast I would most likely regret it later.

But what _could_ I do? He had somehow immobilized me.

Now he was standing right in front of me.

"So…do you have any last words before you die? I don't really need to keep you alive for any longer. I'm sure Pronyma--"

Suddenly the sound of someone teleporting into the room could be heard.

I looked towards where the sound had come from and so did Mitosu.

I blinked, shocked.

It was Pronyma.

But…she was hurt.

Badly.

But how…?

Did Genis…do that?

"Good lord! Pronyma--what happened?" Mitosu asked, also seeming shocked. He rushed over to her and caught her before she fell.

"Th-that boy…that boy…" she murmured, sounding, well, scared.

"What…? Oh, you mean that boy that you needed? Did he do this to you?"

Pronyma nodded her head, "Y-yes that…that…"

"But _how_?" both Mitosu and I asked in unison, giving eachother a wary glance before turning our attention back to Pronymas wounded form.

"He…he…his Exsphere…it's different…it…and his…wings…"

"He has wings?"

"Oh…he used his wings to get out of the Chains and then he attacked you?"

"Y-Yes…but his wings…?" she gave me an accusing stare, and if I could've moved my head, I would've shaken it, telling her that, no I didn't give him his wings.

"I didn't give them to him. I don't know who did but his…Exsphere is different."

"Y-Yes…and he…knows about your…attack and…mine as well…"

"What?"

"He knows that they're…Faors…and…and…Neo--"

Mitosu shook his head hurriedly, "that doesn't matter now! Here, I'll heal you…and then you can…wait…did you just leave the boy there?"

"He passed…out."

"Good then you can go back and do what you came here to do. You _know_ he doesn't like it when we fail him."

"I--yes…" But Pronyma didn't sound convinced.

But…Faor? Well, Mitosu did say that when he called out his sword. And who's Neo? Or is that just part of someones name? And who is 'he'?

And…wait…

I can move?

But how--?

Gah! I shouldn't even care _how_ I should use this as my advantage!

I watched silently as Mitosu healed Pronyma then I teleported behind him.

"Oh my--" Pronyma gasped out.

"Wha--?"

I whacked him right in that sensitive area where the neck connected to the shoulder.

And he fell forward.

And I staggered backwards--another image coming into my mind.

This time…this time it was a woman, an elven woman.

The first thing I noticed about her was her emerald colored eyes and her matching emerald, waist length, slightly wavy hair. She also wore a matching emerald colored dress with white silk and lace. She also wore a crown littered with Jade and Emerald.

She was beautiful but…the smirk on her face showed her…venomous side. She had obviously done something cruel in her past. That and she had a bloodied sword in her hand.

And, just like last time, the image was gone just as quickly as it had come.

Who was that? Was that…the person they called Neo? But Neo sounded like a boys name…

Wait! Why should I even care?!? I need to get to Genis!

I glared at the shocked form of Pronyma and the obviously unconscious form of Mitosu.

I then teleported out of the room and to the room where Genis was.

And I just hoped he was okay.

--------------------------------------

**Me: **And that's Chapter/Part Twenty-nine!

**Feral: **Yes…it is…

**Me: **Hey, you can stop feeling so gloomy now!

**Feral: **Why?

**Me: **Because you'll be showing up in the next Chapter!

**Feral: **But that's just gonna be in a dream…

**Me: **So? It's better than nothing right?

**Feral: **Well…I guess so…

**Me: **Okay then! Please Read and Review! I love reviews and they make me happy!


	30. Real Image

**Me: **Wow…the thirtieth chapter! Sorry it came out so late though…; I had to work on a project for English…

**April: **Yeah! Congrats! And at least you got it done…

**Me: **Eh-heh-heh thanks!

**To Understand Part Thirty**

**Real Image**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**Takokinoko-**Eh-heh-heh, thanks for the review and yeah, I agree about Genis and the way he looked while he cast that really powerful spell (I'd actually want to see him cast a spell like that in the game, but unfortunately it's not gonna happen - -;)! But yeah like Mithos thought Neo _is_ short for something. And yes it's supposed to be boyish--you'll actually figure out at the end of this chapter. And I'm glad you like the fast updates! I never liked how long some people took writing fanfics (some would leave for about six months and then come back…) so I decided that I wouldn't do that! Though it is hard sometimes cuz of homework and the time on the computer--with Internet access--is limited to only a few hours. But you think I deserve a gift? Hmm, I guess I do…-bows head- thanks for thinking I do! And you're welcome about the hints about Exire. That should be happening in, I'm thinking/hoping, Part 35 or so…maybe…it's not definite yet (nothing ever is in this fic - -;). And if you're wondering exactly how cute Genis'd look. There's a pic of Feral in a blue dress in my bio--you can just pretend its Genis (they look almost like twins anyway) and then there ya go! Genis in a dress! -Cough- Now then, here's the next Chapter--Enjoy!

**Alaia Skyhawk: **O.o well…yes, she definitely is a--uh, yeah, that word…-cough-but yes Genis has gotten much stronger! And that's a good thing! Anyways, here's the next chapter and, as always, enjoy!

**Mizuki hikari-**You ask to continue, so I continue! I hope you like this chapter!

**Liu Barrowin: **Yeah, I know you reviewed for Chapter/Part Twenty-seven but...I'll do your review here! Now then, I'm glad you liked the dark Mithos and, yeah, you'll figure out at least a little more about him so...yeah. Thanks for teh review and I hope you like well, whatever chapter you're on!

**Me: **Well, here we are! Chapter/Part Thirty! Yay!

**April: **Yup! This centers more on Lloyd, Zelos, and Kratos right?

**Me: **Yup…I might put something at the end since a lot of people are wondering what's going to happen to Genis and Mithos (as well as Pronyma and Mitosu) but I'll just see if I have room.

**April: **Well you'll just see when you get there right?

**Me: **right, now can you do me a favor and do the disclaimer?

**April: **Okay! Harmony283 doesn't own Tales of Symphonia or any of its characters. All she owns are Feral Mitosu, the plot, and me! So please don't steal us!

**Me: **Okay…that's good.

**April: **You're welcome!

**Authors Note: **Okay then, like I said above, this Chapter is gonna focus on what's going on with Lloyd, Zelos and Kratos. I'll also put in some of Genis' POV at the end cuz...well, I wanted the traps to each be in their own separate chapter...and the dreams important too and didn't seem to fit for what happens in the next Part...- -;

**April: **I hope they get Kratos back…but I have a question.

**Me: **Hmm?

**April: **What're you going to do about the traps? I mean, Kratos'll be in the little thing where Lloyd turns into a spider, Presea and Regal are going to be in the jail cell, Colette and Sheena are going to be in the Mirror room, but where will Raine and I be?

**Me: **Oh, don't worry! You'll be somewhere…I just don't know where yet…- -;

**April: **Oh…-sweatdrop-

-----------------------

Lloyds POV

"Fiery Beast!" I cried out as I hit the monster--it was some type of Dragon--with me and Zelos' combo attack.

And finally it died.

And we won.

I sighed, dropping to the ground in exhaustion. That had been a lot harder than I thought it would be, though I think most of it was because Zelos had told me it was resistant to all Sword type attacks.

And since the only weapon I had _was_ a sword…that hadn't gone as well.

"Healing Stream!" Zelos called and soon afterwards a calming, and soothing, breeze swept over me, healing any wounds I had received and easing my weariness.

"Thanks." I said, smiling up at the red head who had walked over to me.

"Yeah, no problem."

"I just hope we don't have to go up against _those things_ again."

"Don't worry, we don't have to. Look ahead." I turned around to follow where Zelos was pointing and saw another strange sketch on the floor.

"And what exactly is that?"

"It's a warp panel. I think it leads to the city of the 'Angels' if you know what I mean."

"Ah--okay…but…won't we get in trouble if one of the Angels sees us there?"

"No. I think most of 'em were killed off or else they're all guarding Venheim."

"Oh…okay. Then, let's go!" I got up and ran over to the warp point, waiting for Zelos to catch up. Once he did, we stepped onto the warp point.

Which led us to the place that Zelos had said it would.

And he was right. No 'Angels' were in sight.

But instead…there was a green magic circle in the center of the room.

"Well that certainly looks suspicious." Zelos muttered, shaking his head.

"Yeah. Let's check it ou--wha--!"

"Lloyd!"

I felt myself sinking into the floor…wait, that wasn't good! What was going on? I'm so confused…

I looked above me long enough to see that somehow the ceiling had reappeared above me and that…was that Kratos?

And what was that black thing?

I watched as it latched onto his leg and tugged him forward.

I hope he doesn't get stuck in that…

Or wait, is it an entrance to where I am?

Suddenly I see…a lifelike hologram of me.

I can't hear what he's saying but…how dare they copy me?!

I thought for sure that they'd make a hologram of my mom or something. I mean, that's what Zelos said they did last time.

Bu maybe he wouldn't fall for it this time?

Yeah, that's probably why.

But why would he fall for…that fake?

Now I wished I could hear what he said.

And, almost as if the, well, trap, heard me, I could hear voices.

"Do you honestly think that will work?" the copy of me asked, sounding angry, doing the exact same things _I_ would do if I were angry.

Now I had to wonder how they figured all this stuff out.

"It--" Kratos seemed to be having trouble forming his words as he tried to run away from the expanding black circle.

"Look. There are so many failures that we--that I--have gone through. Though you have gone through more. Why don't you just give up?"

"I could never--"

"But wouldn't it feel nice to just, y'know, let everything go?"

Yeah it'd be nice to. But people need us! We can't just let everything go now!

"Hey! Stop it!" Kratos, if he could have moved, he would've jumped. Now he was searching for where my voice had come from.

"Where…?" He looked down below and his eyes widened, "Wh-what…?"

"See? Now a spider has showed up. If you get caught by that black hole and are tugged into the room below it will each you." 'Lloyd' said smuggly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Wait…so now _I'm_ a spider? Talk about degrading. I squash spiders all the time…

"No I'm not! You're the hallucination! Not me!" I shouted again, now I was _really_ getting ticked off.

"That…sounds like Lloyd."

"No it doesn't! I'm Lloyd and that's a…spider! Can't you recognize your own son?"

"You…I really must talk to Mithos about this once we find him. But you…are not my son."

"Wha--but that Lloyd down there is a fake!"

"Hey! Who're you callin' a fake you fake?!"

"So Lloyd really is down there."

"But how can you tell if he's a fake?"

"Because for one he would have helped me by now, if you were the real Lloyd you would have found a way to stop this…trap. And besides…Lloyd would never have told me to give up. I've bared to much sin already to just cast it aside as if it were nothing."

He then stopped running and let the shadow drag him back into the hole in the floor that led to the room I was in.

And then, just like that, the trap disappeared.

"Wha…?"

"So it really _was_ you."

"Nice to see you two are back." Zelos said from his sitting position on the floor. He looked bored but I could tell that, underneath that face he was actually really worried.

"Yeah…we're back…"

"So…what was the trap all about?"

"A hologram of me showed up and tried to convince Kratos to give up…and stuff."

"Ah…y'mean like running away?"

Now what had brought that up?

"Yes. Like running away."

Suddenly a bright, golden, light appeared between the three of us. After the immense light ebbed away, there, floating between us was a…

spider.

A broken spider.

"This is--?"

"It looks like a spider charm. I've seen one before." Zelos said offhandedly, taking one piece in his hand, "Though it like now its broken…"

"Yeah…but why don't you two keep it?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, it's kinda like a sign y'know? For you, Kratos, and you, Zelos to, I guess, stop running away…?"

Kratos nodded his head mutely and grabbed the other piece.

Zelos just smiled, "That's a good idea." He then pocketed his half and looked at me, a shimmer in his eyes.

I could tell he wanted to…kiss me. But with Kratos standing right there--?

I heard Kratos sigh, "You know, I'm fine with that sort of thing, go ahead."

And Zelos did, closing the distance between us and kissing me lightly on the lips.

He then pulled apart and smiled.

"Well then…shouldn't we be looking for the others?"

"Ah…y-yeah…you're right." I gave Kratos a questioning look to see his reaction to the kiss but, as always, his facial expression was unreadable.

So he really _didn't_ care.

And that really got me to wondering if what Zelos said back at dads house was true.

But it did make a lot of sense--I mean Mithos had long hair for goddesses sake!

Okay…maybe Regal did too, and he wasn't gay, but that was because he hadn't cut it in a long while so that was easily excusable.

And besides, Mithos…looked so _girly_ to begin with.

Wait…why am I even think this?

I shook my head, "Uh, but, where would they be? I'm pretty sure they're all split up so…where should we check first?"

"I would suggest the prison area. I'm sure they could have put at least two people in there…"

"Okay then! Let's get goin' to the prison!" Zelos turned and walked over to where a blue warp point was. I gave one last look at Kratos before I walked over to Zelos.

Kratos, of course, noticed this confusing stare and returned it with a one of knowingness.

So he definitely knew what I was confused about.

We stepped onto the warp point and appeared in the prison room.

And there we saw Presea and Regal.

------------------------------

Genis' POV

_I woke up in a dark room, littered with various stones and gems with a greenish hue. _

_From Jades, to moss covered rocks._

_This place…even though it was dark it had a sense of green to it._

_And yet again, how could I sense a color? _

I shook my head and stood up on shaky legs. I looked around the room, trying to adjust to the inky darkness.

_And, just like all those times before, the darkness seemed so thick that it was suffocating me. _

_Or maybe my labored breathing was caused by my lack of mana._

_Yeah, that had to be it. But…at the same time…this darkness still made a chill go up my spine._

_Suddenly, from the far side of the inky blackness of the room, came a light, a crack, as if a door were opening to reveal a much lighter place._

_I waited and soon I saw a woman, an elven woman, that looked to be around Raines age come into sight._

_She was extremely beautiful, I was sure of that even though I couldn't see her that well._

_She walked into the room, and even though it was dark, I could see her clearly. _

_It was like she was feeding off the darkness._

_Now that I could see her clearly I noticed that she was wearing a green, ornately decorated, dress like that of the royalty in Meltokio. _

_She also had green hair with a lustrous shine to it. _

_But what really caught my attention was…_

_Her eyes._

_They were like Emeralds._

_Not only were they stunning, showing that she was obviously born into a rich family, but they were frightening as well._

_  
They shone with animalistic light._

_  
And right off the bat I knew she was also a killer._

_And that bloodied sword in her hand really didn't help to improve that thought._

_Or…no…it wasn't blood on the tip of the sword._

_It was ruby._

_Suddenly she stopped and turned back to face the doorway. She then called out, "Seiji, Mitosu, Jiniasu**(1)**! Get in here!" Her tone was cold and harsh like that of the harshest commander. _

_Three other, smaller, figures appeared in the doorway. The forms seemed to be shaking. Unlike the woman, I couldn't see them clearly at all._

_It was like they were made of the shadow in the room._

_"Oh…come now, you three. I won't hurt you…I'm not mad." Now the womans voice was as sweet as honey._

_That in and of itself made me think that she was even more dangerous._

_The three finally made their way into the room, and, like the woman, they could be seen clearer now that they entered._

_And I had to say that I was surprised._

_  
The three standing there looked to be about eight years old. There were two boys and one girl. _

The first boy reminded me of a younger version of that person Mithos was fighting. He had black hair down to his ears. His complexion was the same dark tan. His eyes were the same amber color. He stepped forward first, bowing his head to the woman, who smiled gently at him.

_The second boy, actually he reminded me of myself. Where my hair was a whitish silver, his was a dirty blond. His eye were a deep reddish purple. He was wearing a light blue tunic with black shorts and a strange necklace draped around his neck. It was shaped like a cross, though it was black and had a shield in the center covered by bat wings. He was the second person to step forward and bow in front of the woman, who gave a similar smile to him._

_"Come now, Seiji, what's wrong…?" the woman clad in green asked the remaining child--the only girl--though her tone was curious, the undertone was icy._

_The girl slightly spiky hair like me, but her hair was up in two pigtails much like Ferals. And her eyes were a cloudy grey. She was wearing a black tunic that seemed too big on her, and a deep green mini skirt. She also wore black boots and had a black chain belt around her waist._

_"I…I'm sorry, Mistress Neofara…" the girl said, coming forward and bowing like the two boys._

_"Now, now, how many times have I told you to call me Neo…?" _

"But miss, if you don't mind me saying," the boy with black hair that resembled Mithos looked up, "It sounds kind of…boyish."

The woman smirked, "Oh but that's what I like about it, Mitosu. And, Jiniasu? What do you think?"

"I…It's very fitting, miss. It'll confuse the enemy into thinking you're a man!"

"Men have too much power as it is." Neo stated this in bitterness, but quickly changed the tone to sweet, "But I'm about to change that."

_The three children looked at her, confused, "Change that? How?" _

Neo smirked, "That's part of the reason I called you three here. I wanted to ask you something."

The three waited in silence for their mistress to form the question while I just stood there wondering what it was there.

_  
Though one thing was sure._

_I definitely wasn't in Sylvarant._

_Or Tethe'alla._

_But I wasn't in the strange Mirror room either._

_So where was I…? Or was this another one of those dreams…the ones Feral said were impossible to break? _

Was this someones past?

"What do you three despise most of all?"

I blinked, turning my attention back to the woman and the three children.

_Amazingly Seiji was the first to answer._

_"I hate…I hate the way men treat women! I mean, you're a perfectly capable leader and yet they won't let you have the throne!" she cried out, tears budding at the edges of her eyes._

_The woman nodded her head, "Well yes, that's definitely true. You have suffered from this racism because it was what…prevented your mother from--" _

"Gaining work." Jiniasu finished, looking down at the ground, "I…hate father…he left mother and then she wasn't allowed to work because she was a woman and…and…then they went and executed her for trying!"

Neo just nodded her head in understanding.

But not in sympathy, unless it was a mock of the gesture.

_"Now then, Mitosu? What do you hate?" _

"My family." Was his dull reply, which seemed to surprise the woman.

_He obviously didn't talk about his family much._

_"And why do you hate your family?" _

"Because…I do. That's all. Can I leave now?"

Neo blinked, seeming taken back by his coldness, "But whatever for? There must be a substantial reason as to why you hate your family--because you came here…to me…"

"There is a reason, but I don't have to say what it is."

The boy then turned and left, followed shortly after by Jiniasu, and then by Seiji.

_After the door had closed, the woman smirked, "Poor children…do you have any idea what kind of power I can gain? Do you have any _idea_? Seiji, Jiniasu, your revenge against men and their cruelty will be more than accounted for. And…Mitosu…your family…your hate for them will be fully avenged, after, of course, I know who they are and why you hate them." _

She stared off into the dark silence of the room for a few moments before speaking again, her voice rich with blood lust, "Though as for what that reason is, I'm inclined to believe you will never tell me.'

_And then she, too, headed out the door, though she dropped the ruby tipped blade where she stood._

_Though only once she turned around._

_And this time her gaze…_

_Was directly on me._

----------------------------

**(1)-**The names for these three characters: Jiniasu, Seiji, and Mitosu, are actually the Japanese names for Genis, Sage, and Mithos. Also, Jiniasu is modeled after Genis, Seiji is like a girl version of Genis/opposite of Feral and of course Mitosu is based off of Mithos. And yet again this is thanks to Hiranieas for telling me the Japanese names/last names!

**Me: **…I just made that even _more_ confusing didn't I?

**April: **If you're talking about that dream sequence…then yes, probably you did. I mean, most of those characters won't show up till the sequel, right?

**Me: **That's right…but I wanted to foreshadow some events so people would be able to go back and say 'oh yeah! She mentioned that in this chapter'!

**April: **That's true. So I guess you're telling people to read these chapters carefully, right?

**Me: **Right! Now then, Read and Review and I just might update faster! And besides, I love getting them! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy! -cough-


	31. Behind Bars of Sin

**Me: **And here it is! Part/Chapter Thirty-one! And, yet again, I got this out late! I'm so sorry! I really meant to get it out on time but--well, things came up!

**Fera:** Hmm…well yes…it is out late but…do I show up at _all_ during this chapter?

**Me: **It depends but, no, I don't think you are.

**To Understand: Part Thirty-one**

**Behind Bars of Sin**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**Alaia Skyhawk: **Hmm…it sounds like you know something…and I've got you wondering? About what I wonder -ponders-. Anyway, here's the next Chapter so…enjoy!

**Hiranieas:** Well yeah, I guess it would be kinda confusing…after all, you have no idea where Genis is in the dream or exactly what role everyone will play until the sequel (and I kinda sorta planned it that way too). But yeah! I'm glad you liked the chapter an here's the next one!

**Takokinoko-**Yup! That's right, Neo was/is a woman! And yes…the sequel…well, let's just say that the sequel will be a bit of a…shock. It's gonna be big and It's not gonna take place in Sylvarant or Tethe'alla! And I'm glad you could picture everything in the dream sequence okay. That was actually the hardest part of the chapter just on part because of its importance (Neo becomes _really_ important in the sequel just remember that she could have had the throne to something). And it was also extremely hard to explain but…yeah, I'm glad you thought I did okay! And also with Kratos…I think I'm actually getting his personality down right! Yay! And you're going to make me a present? -big eyed- really? Yay! That makes me sooo happy! Hmm…I wonder what it is? And I'm glad you liked the pic of Feral (though her looks are definitely deceiving cuz she looks so cute)! And yes, I know it wasn't _that_ long of a wait…but I still feel kinda paranoid about it (cuz for one chapter I didn't update for six days and I thought it was only three - -;). But yeah, anyways…here's the next Chapter--Enjoy!

**Mizuki hikari**—I'm glad you liked the chapter and that you thought it was interest so…here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

**Me:** Well I'm finally past 30 Chapters

**Feral: **Yes…and I haven't showed up for the past five/six chapters…

**Me:** You're really getting bugged about that aren't you?

**Feral: **You could say that…but now I'll do the Disclaimer: Harmony283 doesn't own Tales of Symphonia or any of its characters. Namco does and she's just using them for entertainment. But she does own April, the plot, and me. So yeah, don't steal…

**Me: **Good job.

**Feral: **Thanks…

**Authors Note: **You're welcome. Now then, in this chapter Lloyd, Zelos, and Kratos will go and save Presea and Regal. And yes, I know each part of these little traps are different but since 'Cruxis' is disbanded an' all the holograms or 'fakes' of the people Lloyd and co. know can't go into that long speech about how they should join the and Lord Yggdrasill. Cuz if they did, they'd immediately be called fakes. And that wouldn't be any fun now would it? -cough- yeah, and if I have room I'll squeeze a little Mithos POV in at the end like I did for the last Chapter.

**Feral: **well that was…well informed

**Me: **Well it's gonna have to be cuz I'm going to have to come up with another 'trap' idea for Raine and April (I still haven't come up with anything yet - -;)

**Feral: **Well that's not good. And their trap scene is coming up in…two chapters.

**Me: -**counts on fingers-let's see…Kratos, Presea/Regal, Colette/Sheena for the next chapter, and…yeah you're right. Chapter Thirty 34…

**Feral: **Of course I'm right! I'm always right!

**Me: **Now you're reminding me of Genis…

-----------------------------

Lloyds POV

I ran over to the floating elevator like platform, waiting for both Kratos and Zelos to follow.

They did and I pressed the 'move' button…just like I did last time.

And we moved across the space between the warp pad and the jail cell.

It still made me wonder how they did all this stuff. I mean, yes they had full use of Magitechnology…and I'm pretty sure it'd be useful because no one besides them—and the professor and the renegades—know how to work those types of machines.

Yeah I could work a refresher but…that wasn't really major.

I sighed, shaking my head of those thoughts, walking over to the jail.

Only to sink into the floor.

Crap…not again!

"Lloyd!"

"Wha-?"

Suddenly I found myself in a dark room.

A _very_ dark room.

It didn't help much that someone else--someone evil--was in the room with me.

Was it a monster?

Suddenly something came down on my left shoulder, making my arm feel like it was about to split from my body.

And that hurt.

"GAH!"

Blood seeped through shirt, staining the already red fabric, making it even more red. Or at least a darker red than it had been.

But where--or rather who/what--attacked me?

I couldn't see a thing.

And that definitely didn't help things out at all.

_'Wait…wasn't Lloyd just there?' _

Huh? Was that Presea? Why--

_'You're right. He was just there!' _

Now Regals voice is in my head.

Or am I hearing the conversation going on back in--

_'No! It couldn't be! It must be an illusion!'_

_'You're right…who knows where Lloyd is--'_

Oh…so now they thought I was an illusion.

How wonderful.

_'Are you two blind? Of course that was Lloyd!' _Now Zelos was yelling at them.

_'It's true. It really was…Lloyd.'_

_'But how can that be possible? He disappeared!'_

_'It is too possible!' _

_'Yes…he saved me from a trap just a few moments ago.' _

_'But…are you sure…?' _Presea sounded really unsure about this and now I really wanted to see their expressions.

I mean, I'm me! No illusion could ever be me!

But as for if they thought that or not…

It was true that I wasn't close to either of them but…they still could tell the difference, right?

_'Yes I'm sure! That definitely is Lloyd!'_

_'I have to agree. I would know my own son from a fake.'_

_'Are you sure about that?' _Zelos inquired, sounding amused.

And I had to agree with him.

He had already made it known that he hadn't been sure when he had gone up against that hologram of me only, what, ten minutes, ago?

He really shouldn't pretend to be superior.

Unless, of course, he was acting again.

Which really wouldn't surprise me.

_'Of course I knew that Lloyd was a fake.' _

_'Hmm…whatever you say.' _Though Zelos _still_ didn't sound like he believed him.

But then again he never liked Kratos to begin with so…it was to be expected.

Suddenly I felt another jab of pain--this time on my left side. I cried out and fell to the ground.

_'Huh? Wha--Alicia!' _

_'What are you doing here? You're supposed to be dead!'_

_'So that's…Alicia…'_

_'Be gone you…you ghost!'_

_'Ahh!' _

_'Stop it!' _

I heard the sound of a weapon being drawn.

Oh great…Presea must've drawn her ax! But her sister was dead! Was she really going to attack Regal?

That was just…so…wrong!

_'Don't move…' _

_'But she is--!'_

_'A fake…? You…aren't happy to see me Regal? Even after I went through all this trouble to come back and you can't even tell its' me?' _'Alicia' sounded like she was about to cry…and I have to say it sounded real.

But how could it be?

No one could come back from the dead…and Alicia was dead!

_'Alicia…but…Alicia's dead! Presea…you know that!'_

_'Yes but if she really did come back from the dead then--'_

_'Thank you so much Presea…even though you, Regal, killed me…I…how could you forgive him for something like that?' _Now Alicia sounded angry.

Woah…wait. Didn't Alicia forgive Regal for killing her? Didn't Regal say she asked him to kill her because she loved him…? Then why is she so angry?

Yup, she definitely is a fake.

But…I can't tell them that!

Hell, I don't even know where I am!

_'Don't move.' _

_'But--' _

_'Oookay this is getting a little weird…' _

And I had to agree with Zelos, I'm sure things were getting weird. But…I couldn't do anything about it the way I was now!

_'But she's dead! Don't let this…fake…fool you! Think about it!' _

_'I don't need to think about it--' _I head the swooshing sound of an ax--crap…she really _was_ going to attack Regal!

_'Yes…make him pay for killing me.'_

"NO! STOP!"

Suddenly, as if complying to my words, the two stopped and--was I floating? I couldn't tell but my surroundings were getting lighter and soon…

I was kneeling on the floor surrounded by a pool of blood.

"Lloyd!"

"So it was you!"

"Where'd you go?"

_'Well? Aren't you going to kill him?'_

"Think about it both of you! Regals right, would the real Alicia say that? And I thought she forgave you, Regal, for killing her!"

"You are…right. Alicia would not say something that this Alicia is saying now."

_'So even you…don't see that it's the real me, Presea. And you were my sister.' _

"Don't talk like that! You are no sister of mine--you're just a fake!" Presea turned to face 'Alicia' and raised her ax, walking steadily towards her.

Now she was standing in front of her.

She raised the ax…

And swung down.

But Alicia disappeared.

"Wha--?"

"So that Alicia was a hologram as well."

"Yes. Just like the 'Lloyd' I went up against in my trap." Kratos murmured, shaking his head from side to side.

"Yeesh, Pronyma must've had a lot of free time on her hands in order to make these traps…I mean, what would I have done if I were trapped in one of them?" Zelos said, looking paler than normal, running his fingers through his vibrant red hair.

"Well you had the liberty of not being stuck in one. So don't imagine yourself in one."

"Fine, fine, boy are you the ever cheerful mercenary?"

"Whatever…"

"Uh…why don't we go find everyone else now?" I asked, hoping that the two wouldn't start bickering.

I really didn't need my father and my boyfriend fighting. I didn't think it'd do much good later on…especially if--

My face turned scarlet…was I about to say if we get married?! Can guys even _get_ married? And I called Zelos my boyfriend too!

Agh! This was so confusing! Is he or isn't he--well I guess he is but…

I shook my head of those thoughts.

After all, it wasn't a good idea to think about those kinds of things now, when everyone--minus those who I saved and Genis who was in Venheim--was trapped.

"So the only people left to find are Colette, Sheena, Raine, and April, right?"

"Right."

"But where would they be? I mean, Kratos was easy to find and so were you," I said nodding at both Presea and Regal, who seemed to look apologetically towards the other like they wanted to say sorry but didn't exactly know how to go about it, "uh…you guys?"

They snapped out of their trance and turned to me, mumbling 'sorry' quickly before bowing their heads.

"Do you two need to apologize to each other? Cuz now would be a good time to do it."

"Well--"

"It is not--"

"Uh…"

I sighed, "Look just say you're sorry…that's all you really can say."

"Yes. You are right. I am sorry Regal…I distrusted your judgement…though you have know Alicia…far better than I."

"And I'm sorry as well. Both our actions were out of hand--of course you would have protected Alicia…she was your sister after all."

"Okay then! Now that you two have made up…" Zelos turned to Kratos, "Since you know your way around here more than anyone else does, where do ya think the others are?"

"Well since Presea and Regal were placed together, let's assume that the others are in pairs of two."

"Okay then, so next we're looking for…Colette and Sheena, right?"

"Yes…that would be easiest. There is only one other place I can think of that Pronyma linked the Derris Emblem to. And that would be in the room with the refresher."

"Okay then, so we go back through the warp point and down the moving walkways till we get there? That sounds easy enough." Zelos said, grinning happily, "Besides, my hunnies probably miss me."

"I doubt that."

"Hey!"

I sighed, "Well it's true…Sheena probably doesn't wanna talk to you right now but at least we can guess where they--or Raine and April--are. After we get them then we can focus on the last two and then hopefully…hopefully we'll be able to get to where Genis is."

"Yes…I am worried."

"Mithos said he would find Genis and that he would kill Pronyma. I don't think we should worry…though Mithos isn't exactly the best healer, we definitely might need Raine or April there to insure his well being--though I highly doubt he's in critical condition."

"And what makes you so sure?"

"I doubt Mithos would let that happen."

"I…do not understand. But that means that Genis is safe for the time being?"

"Yes, I'm assuming he is."

Almost as soon as Regal stopped speaking a dagger floated down from the sky.

Wow…first a broken spider…and now a chipped dagger.

"Huh?"

"What…is this?"

"it's a dagger."

"But what is it for?"

"It's chipped…like its been used a lot."

"Huh?" Presea and Regal turned to face me and I smiled.

"Why don't you keep it?"

"Why?"

"Because…it shows what kind of hardships you've been through--and that you can't give up!"

"Hey that's like the broken spider!"

"Yes…it is."

"Ah…really? I suppose we should keep the dagger then. And yes you're right…it does have symbolic meaning to it when you put it that way--Lloyd." Regal said, taking the dagger from the air and tucking it safely away where it could do no harm.

"Hmm, well then, now that that's over, we might as well find the rest." Kratos stated, walking past us and onto the floating platform.

"Yeah you're right." I followed him on, Zelos following me.

Presea and Regal got on after us and I started the machine.

"You know…it's quite a long drop if we fall off of this thing." Zelos stated off handedly.

"And why are you pointing that out _now_?" I asked, looking back at him.

He just shrugged, "Eh, well, no particular reason really…"

"Then don't speak of it anymore. Saying nonsense just waists ones breath." Kratos said, though his tone seemed cold, like usual, it had an annoyed undertone to it. His statement received a rather cold stare from Zelos, "Then what do you want me to do about it?"

"Well, since just about everything you say has nothing really to do with anything--"

"Yes it does!"

"--No it doesn't." Kratos sighed, "Just keep your mouth shut unless it's something excruciatingly important."

Zelos huffed, muttering something under his breath that sounded like, "Old Man."

Regal, Presea, and I exchanged glances.

Did those two know each other? It sure sounded like they did. And it wouldn't really surprise me.

I mean, they were both a part of Cruxis so yeah, they must've spoken at one time or another.

Or wait…was this about our relationship? But Kratos seemed fine with it!

Argh…now I'm worrying over stuff that I don't have to worry about!

And now I was getting a headache.

Oh joy.

----------------------------------

Mithos' POV

I rushed into the room I knew Genis was going to be in.

And saw him lying, face first, on the floor.

Oh gods…I hope he's okay!

I rushed over to him, kneeling down to his level. I then gently picked him up, walking over to the couch and sitting down on it.

"Genis…" I murmur, running my fingers through his hair. He seemed to be asleep…or unconscious but…his face was even more pale than it usually was.

And his pulse--

I brushed a few strands of his hair away to reach his neck. I then placed my forefinger and my middle finger right under his chin--feeling for that soft part of his neck where I could check his pulse.

Once I found it I counted the pulses within, I was assuming, a one minute time span.

It felt like it took forever just to count up to that point.

But it bothered me…his pulse wasn't quick at all.

Nor was it the steady pace of one sleeping.

It was, in fact, very weak.

I sighed softly to myself, there really wasn't anything I could do about that. It…well, for one I wasn't that great of a healer. I would have liked it if his sister, or even April, were here.

But I didn't know when they would arrive so all I could do was wait.

And then I remember--the traps.

The only way to unlock the Derris Emblem--essentially the only way to get to Venheim.

Crap.

It wasn't like Pronyma would turn off the guard system…but…she must've known that they were, well, going to come.

She said so herself that it wouldn't be good if they came.

So she must've made sure the traps were still active.

But hopefully Lloyd would get them out soon. After all, Kratos was most likely with him and he obviously would know exactly where the traps lay.

I sighed again, though this time more in relief.

Not just because I knew Genis' friends would be okay…but also because the boys pulse had sped up.

I wondered then, what he was dreaming. He seemed to be scared and for once I wished that I could get inside his head and see what he was dreaming of.

I began to stroke his hair softly, smiling at him, though I knew he couldn't see it.

I knew I shouldn't feel this…sense of ease when I didn't even know if Genis was okay or not but…just him being here--with me--made me feel happy.

Because I knew that, when he woke up, I would be the first thing he saw.

And I knew he would like that.

I leaned back against the couch, pulling the boy closer to me, "Please wake up soon." I murmured softly before I too closed my eyes.

The one thing I heard before I drifted off into a kind of dazed slumber was…

The sound of glass cracking.

-----------------------------------

**Me: **There…finally I'm done with this chapter! It took me way longer than I thought it would and I'm sooo sorry yet again!

**Feral: **Well it wasn't really your fault you had to celebrate your fathers birthday on the weekend.

**Me: **Yeah that's true…but this was also, by far, the most boring part to write about…I mean, yeah the traps were kinda interesting but…well…I never really liked Presea or Regal so…

**Feral: **You put it off till the last minute--you procrastinator. You also did the same thing with ATF.

**Me: **Okay…that's because it got deleted (somehow) again! And that isn't my fault either!

**Feral: **Sure it wasn't…

**Me: **grr…-cough-uh…yeah, anyways please R&R! I'd love to hear what you thought of the chapter! So…yeah! Reviews make me happy and--hopefully--they'll convince me to update faster:D


	32. Image of the Failed

**Me: **Here it is, Part/Chapter Thirty-two!

**April: **Yup!

**To Understand: Part Thirty-two**

**Image of the Failed**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews: (4)**

**Alaia Skyhawk**-Yup, two more traps to go! Though I'm not really sure about what to do for the last trap…I'll think of something (hopefully). And that evil grin…has me worried…but, yeah, anyway, here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Hiranieas-**Well no, I really don't like those two that much…but I don't hate them. They're just at the lower end of my list on fav characters - -; but now on my 4th playthrough of ToS I actually have where Presea's my highest relationship character. Now then, yeah, I just had to end the last chapter on a good note…and I'm glad you liked it! Here's the next chapter so enjoy!

**Takokinoko-**Ah the not-so-happy times of doing homework…that's the main reason why I update slow sometimes…but yeah, I'm glad that this was a nice read for you during your free time! And if Zelos and Lloyd were to get married…? Well I can see Zelos wearing the wedding dress (mostly cuz he looks more like a girl) but then again Zelos is more of the 'boyfriend' in their relationship so that means Lloyd would be wearing the wedding dress? That doesn't look right…so I guess they'll both just be in tuxedos and Zelos'll be white. And yes, Zelos definitely could make same sex marriage legal with the amount of money he has. And as for if anything's going to happen to Genis or Mithos…well, you'll just have to wait and see! And yes it has to do with Neo and it has to do with the fact that both Genis and Mithos are asleep. And yes, the trap scene. It may have been boring for me to write, but I still had to and it's not like I hate them as characters (if I really hated them then they wouldn't have any role whatsoever in the fanfic). But yeah, I'm glad you liked it! And here's the next chapter so…enjoy!

**DraNKa-**So you're ready to read more? Well here's an update so yeah you'll get to read more:D And yes Lloyd has many dilemmas in this, and I just _had_ to add in the Mithos fluff at the end…I've already gone three chapters without any interaction between the two and I didn't want to do that again - -; but yeah, here's the updated chapter and enjoy!****

Me: Well now, I've only got one more trap to do after this one and then I'm through with them.

**April: **Yes but…do you have any ideas on what the trap Raine and I are going to be trapped in looks like?

**Me: **…

**April: **…I take that as a no

**Me: **Eh-heh-heh…I've still got some time left…right?

**April: **-sigh- I guess you do. Now then, Harmony283 doesn't own ToS…Namco does. But she does own, Feral, the plot, me and any other OC's that show up here. Okay? Okay.

**Me: **That's…straight to the point and I didn't even have to ask you to do it!

**April: **well…we're past thirty chapters and I've been present since Part Thirteen so…yeah, I just kinda figured you don't have to ask me anymore.

**Authors Note: **That's sweet of you! And for this chapter--as you all probably know by now--it's gonna be Colette and Sheena's trap. And it's gonna be with the mirrors. Yet again, I have never gotten Sheena and Colette together for that particular trap but I have gotten Colette there so I know at least some of what happens with her. And yet again the scene's gonna be changed again—for the reasons stated in the last chapters Authors Note. Also Mithos drifts off into his dreams…and somehow ends up with Genis in his dream! What'll happen? Hmm…well, I guess you'll just have to read and find out (if it even happens in this chapter - -;)

**April: **It looks like Mithos and Genis are going to get into a sticky situation soon…I hope they'll be okay.

**Me: **Shouldn't you be worrying about yourself? I mean, Raine's hurt and you're stuck in a not so pleasant place…

**April: **So you've finally figured out an idea for the trap?

**Me: **Sort of…it's not all too clear but it has to do with you two being high up…

**April: **Oh…okay then…

------------------------------------------------

Zelos' POV

I groan for about the seventh time as I watched my companions--well, everyone except Kratos--look around the new room in a daze.

They certainly seemed to be taking their sweet time.

But then again, I guess last time we were here…they probably didn't get to look at all the 'shiny light's or the 'strange machines'. I mean, we were actually trying to escape so...

"Hey Zelos!" Lloyd called out, making me jump.

He rushed over to me with something round and circular in his hands. He flushed lightly and his eyes widened when I smiled at him.

Man I'm good.

"Hmm? What is Lloyd?"

"Ah…um…this…I found this. I don't know what it is though."

I cocked my head to the side, some of my red hair falling over my shoulder, "Eh? Really now…let me see it." I held out a gloved hand and he placed the round object in it.

The immediate thing I noticed about this…pendant…was the fact that it was _very_ cold.

And it was very dark.

But…wait…dark? Well yeah, it was a dark green--almost black in the current light we were in--but dark?

How odd.

"Doesn't it feel strange?"

"Yeah it does…I can't really explain it but it feels dark."

"But what is it?"

"It looks to me like a pendant. If we had Raine, Genis, or April here they'd probably be able to tell more about what it is since they can sense mana and stuff but…where did you find this anyway?" I looked down at the still blushing brunette with curious eyes.

He just flushed even more and pointed over towards the information center Raine had gotten the info about the Eternal Sword at.

"Why did you go all the way over there? And how did you notice it?"

"I saw something black and shiny and wanted to know what it was so I went over there and picked it up. But yeah, you're right about a half-elf--or an elf in Aprils case--knowing more about that pendant thing than we do."

"True."

I looked back down at the pendant. To me it looked like the shape of a shield and--wait--what's this?

I gently turned the pendant over and there, on the back were two bat-like wings folded neatly together.

Now that was odd.

What was something like this doing here? Or was it some type of weapon?

"I'll hold onto this. I'll show it to Raine when we get her back…she loves ruins and stuff like this." 

"That's true."

"Lloyd! Zelos! I think…I may have found something!" Presea called out from the lower level in the room.

We--Lloyd, Regal, Kratos, and I--rushed over to the nearest platform and rode it downwards. Once we reached the lower level we rushed over to where Presea was standing.

"Where? Were are they, Presea?"

Presea pointed a finger at the mirror some ways off. At this angle you really couldn't tell but it _did_ look like someones--or rather two peoples--reflections were there.

But how could that be when no one was standing in front of it?

Unless it was a mirror with two sides--then it'd make sense.

"Hey! It's Colette--and Sheena too!" Lloyd cried out, rushing forward.

What. An. Idiot.

Didn't he learn that he'd only get hurt if he ran into things like that?

And oh how I wished I hadn't been right.

But I was.

And Lloyd got sucked into the mirror.

Of course, both Colette and Sheena had seen him.

And they saw us as well.

"Ah! Everyone!" Colette cried out, smiling happily, though it looked like she had been crying…and Sheena looked worried as well.

"Was that just Lloyd…? I couldn't tell cuz he just…um…" 

"Disappeared into the mirror?"

"Uh….yeah." 

I smirked, "Of course he did dearie. Glad you noticed it was the real him and not some fake."

"Huh? Who would be dumb enough to think he was a fake?"

Oh…ouch. I just grinned as Presea blushed, Regal shifted around uncomfortably, and Kratos coughed lightly.

"Wait…you guys were stuck in a trap too? And Lloyd freed you?"

"But Zelos…you didn't get stuck in a trap did you?"

"Nope my sweet little angel, I didn't. I got stuck with Lloydie-poo and we had to find these three…well, we found Mister silent mercenary first and then we found these two," I pointed at Regal and Presea, "in the jail cell."

"Oh…well, is everyone okay?"

Ah that was just like Colette to care about other before herself.

"Mmm…well, yes, everyone's okay as you can see…but now we have to--" 

And just like that their images disappeared.

That wasn't good.

"Wha--where did they…go?" Presea asked, slight worry showing through in her eyes.

"They probably went to where Lloyd was. If this is anything like the last two traps we'll just have to wait."

"Yes…though the fact that you say that worries me."

"Well I couldn't see Lloyd when he first saved you. You two just popped out of nowhere so yeah I think you can trust my judgment."

"Fine then." But he seemed curious about something…or was I hearing things?

"What?"

"I saw you speaking with Lloyd a few minutes ago. You…put something in your pocket…what is it?"

"Oh? Well aren't you observant. Well yes I did. It's something Lloyd found. I wanted to wait until we freed Raine an' April but…I guess since you're technically a half-elf--since you have elven blood in you--you might be able to guess at what it is." 

Kratos looked at me, confusion clear in his red brown eyes…they looked a lot like Lloyds.

The only difference as that his eyes were filled with sadness whereas Lloyds' eyes were filled with, well, happiness, most of the time.

"Well then…why don't you--"

The ground started shaking and the sound of glass breaking could be heard.

We turned around to face the mirror.

But there wasn't a single crack on its surface.

So what was--?

"What…was that?"

"I…do not know. Hmm, maybe we're hearing something going on from another part of the…of--"

"No. I doubt it." Kratos sounded nervous.

The curious look in his eyes changed quickly to worry.

Wait…then did something happen to--

"Does that sound have to do with Venheim?"

"I'm afraid that it might. I do not know. We should concentrate on getting Sheena and Colette back first."

"And _then_ we'll worry about it, right?"

"Yes. It's no use worrying over something when you don't have enough information about it."

I sighed, "Well then I guess we're gonna just have to wait." 

"Yes. Now what is that object you said Lloyd found?"

I blinked, "Oh, yeah, that." I moved my hand into my pocket a pulled out the weird pendant.

Kratos gasped, "What is--"

"It looks like a pendant to me. But I really can't tell you anything more about it." 

"Hmm…let me see it."

He sounded urgent.

"Fine--" 

I was about to hand it to him when suddenly the mirror--the mirror Sheena and Colette--along with Lloyd--had appeared in--

shattered.

And they appeared, along with Lloyd.

"Everyone!" Colette cried out happily.

I quickly pocketed the pendant, not wanting anyone else to ask about it, and grinned back, "Hello there! Did you two miss me?"

"Hardly." Sheena huffed, crossing her arms over chest, "But I'm glad that's over."

"Yeah…and I'm glad the mayor was an illusion…"

"But it was still hard to tell. That man'll probably _always_ act the same." Sheena sighed, walking forward, placing a comforting hand on a rather down looking Colette, who perked up immediately.

Then, as if from nowhere, a small broken mirror appeared--floating down from the air above.

Wow…what's with these traps? Do they always do this? Or is this a special occasion?

"Huh…? A broken mirror?" Colette asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

Sheena gulped, "Oh great, who broke it? Cuz a broken mirror means seven years of bad luck."

"I do not think it would affect you…because the mirror's already broken."

"Yeah but…"

"Presea's right, Sheena. Why don't you two keep it?"

"Why?"

"No way. I don't want it! Colette you can have it!"

"Um…okay…but why?"

"Cuz it shows that you got through that ordeal--that you aren't failures--even though some people may think you are." Lloyd grinned his trademark grin and then turned his attention to the rest of us.

"Now then…where do we go to look for Raine and April?"

"I don't know."

"But we have all the items needed to unlock the Derris Emblem."

"Huh…? Really?"

"Yes." Kratos nodded his head, "A broken spider, a chipped dagger, and finally a shattered mirror. These three items release the barrier to Venheim."

"So it's possible that Raine and April might be in Venheim?"

"Yes. There is no other place here that has a trigger to the trap." 

"Hmm…well, I guess we go to Venheim then!" Lloyd said, grinning he walked through the crowd of people, then stopped.

"Wait…where is Venheim anyway?"

------------------------------------------ 

Genis POV

_She was staring at me…_

_I didn't know how she knew/saw me…I mean, I'm supposed to be invisible right?_

Now I reaally_ wished Feral was here. She could tell me why this was happening._

_But wait._

_She said so herself that she couldn't bother me in dreams of the past so…_

_Ugh._

_"And who might you be?" Neo asked, a horribly wicked smirk creeping its way across her lips._

_"Wha--" How was I supposed to answer that? She could use it against me!_

But it wasn't like I'd ever meet her in real life…

_Still, that didn't make it 'okay' to do something…now did it?_

At least it never did from what I learned.

_From what Raine taught me._

_Now I had to wonder where she was. I really hope she's okay…but I can't expect that anything's gonna be easy anymore. I mean, Pronyma's weaker than most people in Lloyds group and she's definitely weaker than Mithos._

_So why isn't she dead yet?_

Yeah, I know Lloyd and the others aren't here yet…but Mithos didn't kill her.

_Or maybe he did…_

_But I doubt it. _

_For some reason I knew he was close by. _

_He couldn't be in this dream…so maybe he found me in that…room? _

Yeah that had to be it.

_Just as that thought left my mind, Neo gave an exasperated sigh._

_"Please tell me your name, boy. Or do you think you're not fit enough to tell a woman your name?"_

Huh?

Oh…that must have something to do with racism against what gender you are…so women were at the bottom of the social ladder.

_"Why would I not want to give you my name? You seem to be…higher class than I am…?"_

Neo seemed surprised at this, "Oh really now? I see…where are you from? You're definitely not from Faesara continent…or even Lyselda isle…" **(1)**

"Huh?"

Her eyes widened, "Are you even from…Reti'thera?" **(2)**

"Reti'thera?"

"That's the name of…our land." She smiled, though this time it seemed kinder. But it still…seemed evil.

_And it was…well…how can someone go from being evil to being nice in a split second? Even _Mithos_ couldn't/didn't do that!_

"Really? I've…never heard of it."

"Then you are from…Sylvarant? Or perhaps Tethe'alla?"

"And how do you know that either one of those two places are where I'm from?"

"Because…that's where the Other Worldly Gate—Lake Purity—leads to…one of those two worlds. You must be from there…though as to how you got in here—"

She whipped around, as if startled by a sudden sound that I couldn't hear. 

_She looked around the dark room, as if searching for a sign of someone else hiding in the depths of the room._

_She slowly maneuvered herself around and walked steadily closer to me, the distance between us growing tense with each click of her shoes against the black tile flooring._

_She then picked up her sword, I was surprised that it hadn't been consumed by the darkness here…_

_I mean, this place could just swallow someone up and then you'd never see them again!  
_

_But darkness couldn't do that!_

But…maybe this darkness could? I mean, the lady said I wasn't in Sylvarant/Tethe'alla anymore…so maybe…it could? But since I'm asleep…does that mean I'll actually feel psychical pain?

Well, unless someone tries to hurt me in the real world I don't think that'll happen.

_The glint of green light off of Neos' silver and ruby blade brought my consciousness back into reality. _

_Someone was in here with us._

_I watched in horrid awe at Neos' skill of the blade…it looked like only a blur of silver and red_

_I heard a familiar voice cry out for her to stop._

_And then I saw him._

_The boy with blond hair and turquoise eyes._

_"Mithos!" _

----------------------------------------

**(1)**--Faesara/Lyselda Continents. Don't worry about if you don't get what these two continents are. You won't really need to know them until the sequel but yeah…they're two of the four continents in the place Genis and Mithos are going to travel to in the sequel.

**(2)--**Reti'thera is the alternate world to the worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. I got the idea for this cuz the Other Worldly Gate has to go somewhere when the two worlds are combined…right? Right. Basically Reti'thera has four continents--two of which are more islands than anything else. And they are--in order from where Genis and Mithos travel--Uselda, Yeselda, Faesara, and Lyselda. Both Uselda and Lyselda are so small that they can be considered islands. And…well…yeah, yet again you don't have to worry about this much until the sequel--this is just for those who want to know.

**Me: **And there it is! Part/Chapter Thirty-two!

**April: **…I know Feral usually says/tells you this but…um…you…

**Me: **I…?

**April: **Added on another chapter.

**Me: **Well I just suddenly got a cool idea about the whole dream sequence that Genis had…and yeah…

**April: **It's hard to believe that in Chapter/Part Thirty-four you used to have where Pronyma died…

**Me: **Well that's changed now…and, well, yeah it has. Now anyways, R&R please! I love reviews and they make me want to update faster!


	33. Surigarasu

**Me: **well, here it is! Chapter/Part Thirty-three!

**Feral:** Well yes, apparently it is…

**To Understand: Part Thirty-three**

**Surigarasu (1)**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews: **

Alaia Skyhawk-Yup…it definitely doesn't look good for Genis, and especially Mithos - -; but don't worry! You should figure out what's going to happen to them in this chapter! Now then, here's the new chapter so enjoy!

**Takokinoko-**Zelos' POV is fun to read—and in my case fun to write! And yes, Neo _is_ a scary lady…in many different ways. And yes she is extremely powerful. Remember that this dream is in the past about someone's life, not in present day. So yes she would be a little below Mithos' level. But think about it, if Mitosu and Mithos battled to an almost draw in the present…how strong would Neo—the very person Mitosu works for—be? And yes, fluff is fun to write/read but it—IMO—has to go along with a good plot line for those chapters when fluff really isn't appropriate. But yeah, I'm glad you liked this chapter and here's the next one:D

**Hiranieas-**Yup, Mithos enters the picture…but _now_ what will happen? Hmm…I wonder. And you ask me to update—so I update! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Nady-Kun-**Hmm, the last time you reviewed –goes back and looks through reviews-was chapter 25 so it wasn't _that_ long ago. As for the dark pendant, well, no you've never seen/heard of it in the past chapters of TU but it's similar to the pendant Genis has in ATF (which is _finally _up)the only difference is instead of a cross it's a shield, and instead of white angel wings it's black bat wings…and the colors are different too. And I read something on the whole Kratos turning into a half-elf on some sight with his biography and that's what it said (the same with Zelos though he's still more human than elf). Ah yes, Mithos was born to break the rules. He'll do it a lot too since, in the future, he'll gain the title 'Fallen Angel'…I wonder what that could mean? –giggle/cough- anyways…here's the next chapter and enjoy :D

**Feral: **Now then…what's your plan for this chapter? Is it gonna be super long or are you going to break it in half?

**Me: **I dunno…I'll have to write it out first and then I'll decide about that.

**Feral: **Well…okay then. But I _should_ be showing up soon…right?

**Me: **If things go as planned then you'll show up again in Part Thirty-four.

**Feral: **-smiles-yes! Finally! I was _wondering_ when you'd bring me back! I'm sure everyone misses me!

**Me: **Just do the disclaimer…

**Feral: **Harmony283 doesn't own ToS, Namco does. But she does, however, own me, April, any other OC's, and the PLOT! So please don't steal/use us without permission!

**Authors Note: **-nods head- that's good Feral. Now then, in this chapter you're gonna see part of the trap April and Raine are trapped in. I'm still kinda iffy on their trap so please don't mind if some of it…sounds weird (there's only part of it in this chapter…so it won't be that weird). It has a lot to do with their images of the past and stuff (you'll see more about it in the next Chapter). Also you'll see what's going on in that eerie dark room in the place called Reti'thera with Genis, Mithos, and Neo.

**Feral: **Straight to the point, like last time.

**Me: **yeah…well…yeah.

**Feral: **…?

**-----------------------------------------------------------**

Aprils POV

Okay, yes I must admit that I sometimes did get lost.

I wouldn't know where I was and I would be scared.

But that hadn't happened since I was a child.

And now…it was happening again.

I was in an unfamiliar place and I had that same feeling of not knowing where I was or who I was with.

I shivered, as if cold, and looked around.

I was in some type of strange…glass dome. Though the glass seemed clear, it…was foggy at times.

And images flashed across its surface, like a reflection on water, shifting and moving with the ripples--disorienting the picture until its barely noticeable.

I reached out my hand, and, ever so lightly, touched the glass with my fingertips.

Only to have a wave on nausea sweep over me.

What…was this?

Then I remembered…

Didn't Raine come with me?

Where was she now?

I turned around and gasped.

This dome spread to the length of this…well, I guess I could call it a room.

But where we really anywhere?

It didn't seem like it.

It was almost like we were extended in the air.

Or at least that's what it felt like.

But what was holding this glass dome up?

I shook my head, this was all so confusing! And I had to find Raine because she wasn't even fully recovered yet!

But I couldn't see her.

Maybe this was…some sort of barrier? That'd make sense since I can't see her…but…but…

This feeling…was familiar.

This nauseating feeling when I touched the glass.

It's like my mind was forcing me to remember something.

But what?

"You must be confused right now, aren't you?"

I gasped and rubbed my eyes, making sure--or more like hoping--I was seeing things.

It was…mother.

But how? She's dead!

"Mother?"

"Yes it's me, April. Aren't you happy to see me?" she smiled sweetly at me and I relaxed.

I couldn't help it either. I always felt comfortable around those I knew.

But how…? How could she be here? Was this a trap? Raine and I got sucked up into the Derris Emblem so it must be a trap!

…So what do I do?

Now I wished Raine were here.

She'd know what to do.

I sighed, "And what are you doing here, mother?"

"I came here to see you. Pronyma told me that you had accidently gotten stuck in some sort of trap…and then she sent me here. But you know…she looks so different now, Pronyma does."

I nodded my head, "Yeah she's much different from the daughter you knew."

My mother tilted her head to the side, her green hair falling over one shoulder, "Really? But you've changed too. And that woman…Rain I believe….she changed too. You both are so beautiful now."

"You know where Raine is?"

"Yes I did. She's stuck in the same trap. You mean you didn't see her?"

I shook my head, "No…but I did just wake up."

"I see. Well then, why don't we go and find her together? Then we can get out of this trap and then I can ask Pronyma why she trapped you in the first place."

"Oh…that's because we're enemies now, mother."

She looked over at me, bewildered, "But…but the last time I saw her she said that she would take care of you if I died! And then she took me to a place where they took care of me."

"What?"

"Yes…she took me to this strange place. There were many strange machines, far more complicated. I could tell they were made from Magitechnology. It's horrible that they still have something like that still here."

I gulped.

So wait…she really didn't die?

"Mother?"

"Yes dear?"

"You mean you aren't dead?"

Now she looked even more shocked.

"Dead?" she then thought about it, "Actually, quite honestly I don't really know. But my memory has been a bit foggy. I can't really recall much of anything since that time…twenty three years ago when she took me to that place."

"I…see. So you don't know?"

"Well it's easier to get around as I am now. So many things are easier to do! I can go just about anywhere in a blink of an eye. But I never remember any of it. Pronyma came back just a few hours ago--or was it days ago? Ah, well, she said I had a chance of visiting you. She said that you might even be able to join me in that place she took me."

"Oh…and do you want me to come with you?"

Yet again I was filled with warmth as she smiled at me.

"No. It's horribly boring. They basically make me sleep the entire time, saying that I'm too weak to do anything. And yet when I'm asleep I'm awake. Like now, I'm asleep but I'm standing right in front of you."

I blinked.

Well that was odd.

"Oh…well…why are you like that?"

"I don't know. But you said that your friend Raine was smart, right?"

"Yes she is."

"Then maybe she will help solve this mystery. But…" I watched as the woman beside me looked around, "That's odd. The trap's much smaller than when I first arrived. I hope your friend's okay…"

"Yeah…I do too. You see, um, well, Pronyma has changed, like you said. And well, she hurt Raine badly and she's not fully recovered yet and I'm really worried."

My mothers' eyes dulled as I said this, but she didn't disagree with me, "I see. I wouldn't put it below her to do something like that. But it's okay, we'll find her and then I'll get you out of here. How does that sound?"

I smiled, "That sounds great! That way we can meet back up with our friends so they don't have to worry about us anymore!"

"More friends…?"

"Yes. Some were trapped like we were. But they didn't show up here."

"Hmm, well Pronyma always did have a thing for puzzles and things…but this is _not_ the way to use them."

I giggled, "Well then, you should tell her that when we get out."

She nodded her head, "Yes, that sounds like a great idea."

-----------------------------------------------------

Mithos' POV

_Okay…I have no idea how I got here but…who was that lady? She looked very familiar._

_Oh wait, she's the lady I saw in Mitosus memory._

_But that still doesn't explain why she attacked me out of the blue. I mean, normally someone would at least _ask _who they were attacking before they actually attacked. _

_But I've got to admit, her sword skills are excellent. That's the first time I got hit with an attack in about four thousand years. _

_"Mithos!" _

wait…was that Genis' voice? What's he doing here?

_I look past the woman and gasp, it was Genis. And he looked scared stiff. I didn't look like he could move anyway. _

_Wait, was I in his dream? But how was _that_ possible? Yes I split the two worlds…but now I'm breaking into other peoples' dreams? Talk about odd._

_Though thankfully this was a dream, so my wound didn't hurt. The woman, of course, seemed surprised by this._

_"Who are you, boy?" _

Ooh…I hated it when people called me that.

_"I'm not a boy! I'm older than you are!" I snapped, "Besides, you just attacked me out of the blue, what in the name of--what makes you think I'm going to tell you my name." _

The woman smirked, "My aren't you a feisty one. You remind me of Mitosu…except for an older version. But yes I do suppose I shouldn't be asking you your name. But you are the person who broke into my private chamber."

"What? Private Chamber of Nothingness?" I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice as I looked around the dark room. It felt strange, that's for sure. For one the Mana level was way too high for this to be Sylvarant or Tethe'alla.

_But it also felt foreign like I wasn't…well, in Tethe'alla or Sylvarant. _

So where was I?

"Where is this?"

"Oh? You don't know either. Then you two must know each other. How cute, alternate versions of Jiniasu and Mitosu." Now her voice held sarcasm.

_She raised her sword, pointing it at me._

_I sighed, "Okay look, I'll tell you my name but then you have to tell me yours." She seemed surprised by this and lowered her sword. But she still kept a smirk on her lips._

_"Okay then. What's your name?"_

_  
"Mithos." _

"I am Neo…"

"So I was_ right. You are the one who--" then I noticed Genis shaking his head, as if telling me not to say anything more._

_"I'm the one who…?" _

"It's not important. We only agreed to exchange names now didn't we?"

She scowled at me.

_"Now aren't you a stubborn boy." _

"Stubborn? I'm only keeping to our agreement, woman. Now where are we?"

"I already told your friend, why don't you ask him?"

I watched her, waiting to see what she would do. But she didn't do anything.

_"You know I won't attack you." _

I nodded my head and rushed over to Genis.

_"Are you okay?" _

Genis mutely nodded his head, "Yeah…I am. But what are you doing here?"

"I dunno. I just fell asleep after I found you and…now I'm here." Genis nodded his head, as if accepting this answer.

_"I see. Well I guess I should tell you…we're in a place called Reti'thera. Apparently it's like an alternate universe to Tethe'alla and Sylvarant. And Neo knows I'm from there too." _

"I see. So that's what Mitosu was talking about. So we're in the alternate universe which most likely means, here it's at peace whereas back in our world--"

"No. This…dream…is actually someones past. It isn't taking place during present time."

Okay, so not only did I somehow appear in Genis' dream, I also somehow traveled back in time…?

"So we're in an alternate dimensions past?"

"Yeah."

"So what do we do?"

"Are you two done talking yet?"

I turned back around to face Neo.

_She smiled at me, tilting her head to the side so that her green hair fell to the side._

_Then my heart stopped._

_No…it couldn't be. _

_But she looked _just like_ her!_

_She looked just like…_

…_Martel._

---------------------------------------

**(1)**--the title 'Surigarasu' means 'Frosted Glass' in Japanese (I think). I remember reading it in a manga book once and thought it sounded neat so I wrote it down (it had the Japanese name and then under it the English translation). But if this is wrong--which sometimes translations can be off--then please tell me and I'll change it!

**Me: **oww….

**Feral: **…? What's wrong?

**Me: **I don't think I've typed this much in two hours before…

**Feral: **Well you did manage to type a chapter of TU and ATF in about an hour and a half…what do you expect?

**Me: **To get a hand cramp?

**Feral: **No…really? I would have never known. -Rolls eyes-

**Me: **Hey now! Don't be mean! -Cough- but yeah! I did it! I finally got this chapter typed up…but I'm gonna have to say that, even though it's the weekend, I won't be able to get another Chapter up.

**Feral: **Now why was that again? I know it has something to do with English

**Me: **-sigh- yeah, it does. I have to do two projects--one on _The Scarlet Letter_, which is due…I think Wednesday and the other's due--I think--next Tuesday(?)--and I have to do them _both_ this weekend since I don't wanna do them over the weekdays or on my 3 day weekend (next weekend). So yeah, just thought you ought to know that. And, as always, R&R! If you review I'll start workin' on Part Thirty-four early!

**Feral: **Yes but, because of your wanting to have two chapters the same length (so you can reach _exactly_/close to 300 pages by the next chapter) I'm not going to show up…grr

**Me: **uh…heh…sorry? -backs up slowly/runs away-


	34. Kaleidoscope

**Me:** And here it is! Part/Chapter Thirty-four!

**April: **Yup! And you now have over 4090 hits! –Applauds-

**To Understand: Part Thirty-four**

**Kaleidoscope **

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Yup, it's an evil version of Martel (I've actually got a pic of her up on dA--it's my home page--if you wanna know what she looks like) and is it bad? Hmm…I wonder…well anyways, here's the next chapter so enjoy:D

**Azure-chan/Hiranieas-**Yes Neo does look like Martel—there are some differences though—but as for if Mithos and Genis know it or not, well, you're right they _don't_ know. Now then here's the next chapter so…enjoy!

**Takokinoko-** I'm glad you liked the 'trap' idea, I kinda came up with it from stuff running around inside my head (which is where most of my ideas come from for this fanfic) but yeah, I'm actually surprised it turned out okay (I went back and re-read the chapter). As for if Aprils' mom is dead or not, well, I actually based what happened to her kind of on what happened to Igaguri. So Aprils' mom is more of in a coma, and she still has on the exsphere/Cruxis crystal Pronyma gave her 300+ years ago. And yeah, Neo does look a lot like Martel (her hair color's darker though). And thanks for the good luck! I'm almost done with the project (I did most of it on Sunday and some of it Monday and yesterday--todays Wednsday) but yeah, thanks! And don't worry about how long it takes for the 'present' to get done…I'm just happen that you're making something for me! And here's the next chapter so enjoy:D

**DraNKa-**Yeah there's gonna be a lot of action in the next few chapters. But don't worry! Just wait till they get to Exire and then there'll be some fluff! Oh yes, and there's also going to be an awkward scene coming up soon involving Raine and Mithos…-snicker/cough-Anyways…here's the next chapter--Enjoy!

**April:** That's an _interesting_ title.

**Me: **Yeah, I got the idea for the title from those kaleidoscopes people usually sell at county fairs and stuff. I never bought one but the glass inside makes it look all pretty and everything.

**April: **So first our trap has to do with frosted glass and now it has to do something with a kaleidoscope?

**Me: **Yup! In case you haven't noticed there's a theme of mirrors and glass used throughout this fanfic…and, well, I just wanted your trap to have something to do with glass since Sheena and Colettes trap had to deal with a mirror.

**April: **Oh…I see. But still, dragging my _mother_ into this…? What are you planning?

**Me: **You'll just have to find out for yourself!

**April: **-sigh-okay then, I won't ask. And now I'll do the disclaimer: Harmony283 doesn't own ToS! Namco does! She also has never owned a kaleidoscope but she has looked at one before…so yeah. But she does own me, Feral, any OC's, and the Plot! So please don't use us without permission.

**Me: **That was a longer disclaimer than normal…

**April: **Yeah…it is. But I just felt like talking today -smiles-

**Authors Note: **-sweatdrop- uh, okay…? -cough- well then, putting that aside, in this chapter, like the last one, it'll start off with the trap April and Raine are stuck in. Only this time it'll be in Raine's POV. Then, also like last chapter, it'll go back to what Mithos, Genis, and Neo are doing.

**April: **…that about says it all. But where did you get the idea of making Neo Martels alter persona?

**Me: **…actually I don't know. Eh, heh, heh, I just noticed that she looked similar to her (or at least in my mind she looks similar) and thought 'hey if Martel's good in Tethe'alla/Sylvarant then wouldn't she be bad if she were in this world?' and…it just took off from there.

**April: **So you didn't intend for Neo to look anything like Martel but she did?

**Me: **Yeah. That basically sums it up.

**-----------------------------------------**

Raines POV

I groaned and sat up.

For the love of the goddess I felt horrible. I shook my head from side to side, trying—to no avail—to get this horrible migraine to go away.

Actually, I think I'm making it worse.

I sighed then, straightening up so that I was now in a sitting position. I shivered lightly, covering my bare shoulders. Now I wished I had my old outfit on.

But why was it so cold?

I looked around me.

I was in a glass dome looking thing. But…the glass was shifting, or at least, the colors in the glass were shifting, like ripples on the calm surface of a pond.

Just then I saw an image flash across the glass, along with the colors.

But it faded just as quickly

I rubbed my eyes and crawled closer to the dome.

I placed a hand tentatively onto the glass, but just as I did that, pain surged through my hand and I jerked it away.

"Wha…?" I looked down at my hand, and at the burn that had formed on the pale skin.

I looked back up again, watching the glass to see if I saw another image.

And I did.

This one was…one of Genis and it was blue in color.

But he looked younger…and he was crying.

Then, just like that, it was gone.

But it made me feel bad.

Was I the one who caused Genis to cry? I couldn't remember but this feeling…told me that I had.

I remembered the first few times I had gotten mad at him I had whacked him on the head and he had cried.

But that was back when he was 7 years old.

Back when we first arrived in Iselia.

I shook my head once more, and turned my gaze back to the glass, it was like a kaleidoscope almost.

But except for showing the different patterns it showed different images.

Another image, this one along with the color red, was one of…was that man…my father?

And who was that young girl with him? She looked to be around twelve years old.

And she was yelling at him…it looked like they were in Ymir Forest.

But why?

And that girl…looked so disturbingly like Genis--but she wasn't.

And, just like the last time, the image disappeared.

"Wha…What's going on…here?" I whispered, finally getting the courage to stand up and look around the room.

Of course there was this glass dome ceiling, and then the floor…either it was clear or…

No.

How can we be suspended in mid air?

Well, this was a trap.

Hmmm, fascinating! Did Magitechnology help in this creation? Or was it by some other form of magic?

The archeologist side of me told me to stay and conduct more research, but the sane part of my mind--or rather, the normal side of my mind--told me that I had to find a way to get out of here.

It wasn't only because of my well being--since I felt myself weakening due to the loss of blood from that wound Pronyma had inflicted, but also because of Genis and my fear for his safety.

Yes I knew that Mithos was probably already where he was, and that he had probably already taken care of Pronyma…but he did used to be our enemy.

But Sheena had told me to trust him in that letter she sent.

And Lloyd and the others had said that it was fine. Or at least they _seemed_ fine with it. So I guess I should be too.

I sighed softly to myself, "This isn't going to get me anywhere--especially when I need to find the exit to this…thing." I shuddered at the thought of what might happen to me if I stayed in here too long.

Then I just had to wonder what everyone else was up to.

Well, whatever it was, I hoped they were okay.

I shook my head and turned away from the images in the glass surface, facing the rest of the seemingly endless trap.

How far did this really go?

Or did I really want to know?

"Well, as long as I find an exit I know I'll be--"

Suddenly the air rippled, seeming to tear apart for a split second.

Then it closed back up.

"Raine! I finally found you!" A familiar voice cried out.

Before I had even the time to blink I was tackled to the floor.

"Ack--April?" I looked down at my childhood friend, who was currently latched, around my waist.

"Oh my…are you okay? April, I think you should get up." A woman with green hair and purple eyes smiled at me.

Wait…she…did I know her?

"You're--?"

"Yup, she's my mother." April said, looking up at me happily.

Though she did have tears in her eyes.

"What…? But I thought--"

"That I was dead?" Aprils mother asked, walking over to me, looking sad as well.

"Truth be told, I'm not too sure myself. Pronyma told me that I'm alive--in a sense. But it's been so long now that I can hardly remember."

"I see." I studied the woman in front of me for a few moments.

The first thing that I became aware of, though, was the fact that she was fading, like a hologram.

Hmm…now I had to wonder…

"Do you have an Exsphere?"

------------------------------

Genis' POV

_I watched Mithos' face turn from hatred_

_To confusion._

_And finally to shock. _

_Now I had to wonder what was going on in _his_ mind. _

_"M-Mithos…?" _

He snapped out of whatever thoughts he had been caught in and turned to face me.

_"Yes, Genis?" He sounded so formal and yet…somewhat scared--no scared wasn't the right word for it._

_Maybe startled, or, well, shocked. _

_But what could he have been thinking of? _

"Mithos…? What's wrong?"

"It's Neo."

"What about her?"

"She reminds me of--"

_A flash of silver caught my eye, "Wha--?" _

Then I felt the cool metal of a blade against my throat.

_"Ah--?" _

"Now, now, I believe you two have talked long enough." I felt the cool metal dig into my throat.

_But it didn't hurt._

_Of course it wouldn't! For one we were in a dream, and two, well, I was probably not even born yet! _

And I don't live in Reti'thera anyway…

_She noticed that I didn't flinch and I felt her move away. _

_I watched, still in the paralyzed state I arrived in, as Neo made her way over to Mithos._

_"I wonder, will you flinch?" She asked almost in a joyful tone, like a child asking the always-asked question of 'why'._

_Mithos glared at her, "And why would you want to know?" His voice was even, showing no signs of the shock and scared look he had worn on his face a few seconds prior._

_"Because it seems your friend here," she motioned to me with the hilt of her sword, "Can't move. Pity really, I actually like you." _

Mithos just stared at her, "So? Your point is?"

Another flash of silver and the blade was pointed at his neck.

_"My point is this--" She swung the sword and, just like last time, it seemed to be just a blur of silver._

_Yet again I heard Mithos cry out in surprise._

_But this time instead of appearing--he disappeared. _

_"Mithos!"_

_--------------------------_

Aprils POV

I watched as my mothers face turned from confused to knowing as she removed the cloth band she wore around her left hand.

"You mean this?"

I gasped at what I saw there. It was indeed a Cruxis Crystal--whitish blue in color. But…it seemed…strange almost.

Or maybe it was the key crest that it was on.

Raine nodded her head, "I see. You have a Cruxis Crystal. That must be…from the project."

"Yes it is. I still have it. Pronyma told me, right before she took me here, that if I took it off now, I would die."

Raine nodded her head again, "Yes that's true. Your…key crest--which is what your Cruxis Crystal is on--needs to be replaced by a normal one, so that we can remove it without you having any…side effects."

She paused a moment, looking warily at my mother.

"By the way, do you know what happened to you?"

What?

"What?"

"I mean, I just explained that we needed to remove your Cruxis Crystal--but do you know why?"

"Well I'm assuming it would help in some way…? And it also hurts sometimes, when I'm like this for too long."

I watched as Raines stormy blue eyes glazed over in deep thought, obviously contemplating on how she was going to voice her next choice of words.

"Well yes I suppose it would hurt in the form you're in now."

What was she talking about? Is something wrong with--

"What are you talking about? Mother…is normal isn't she? She's alive right?"

Raine turned to me and smiled, "Yes your mother is alive. But right now she," She turned to face mother, "You are in a coma."

"C-Coma…?"

"But how is that possible? How can she be standing right in front of us when she's in a coma?" I gripped Raines arm, staring up at her.

I had been confused when she was asking mother those questions, but now I really was confused.

Raine sighed, "It's because that's one of the effects of the exsphere."

"Huh?"

"It helps elongate the time one can stray from their body."

"That's…I don't think that's helping any…"

Good, at least mom was just as confused as I was.

Raine sighed yet again, though this time she had a smirk on her face, "I mean that you can stray from your unconscious body for a longer while than you ever could had you not had a Cruxis Crystal--an Exsphere."

So, wait, so mom basically was asleep somewhere--like she told me earlier--but her Cruxis Crystal made it so that she could leave her body on a whim? That still doesn't explain why she's here besides the fact that she said she wanted to see us.

"I-I see. So that's why I can move around so freely even though my actual real body is asleep right now."

Raine nodded her head, "Yes, but it's not healthy to stay like this. You need to get back to your body as soon as possible." She seemed worried as she said this.

"I--well, I suppose I should be getting back, but as you can probably see for yourself, you're stuck in this…trap. I want to help you find a way out so that you don't have to worry about waiting for your friends."

"Our friends…? Oh! How are they anyway? Do you know if they've found everyone--well except for us of course--yet?"

Mother shook her head, "No I don't. Pronyma told me that I could come here to meet you two she never said anything about what your friends were doing."

Raines face fell, "I understand. So that means you don't know if they've found Genis yet."

"I doubt they have. From what Pronyma told me--I think it was before you came here because she was talking about traps and things--it sounded like he's here, in Venheim."

"We're in Venheim--Mithos' castle?"

"Yes."

"But how? Everyone else is in Derris Kharlan! They won't know where to look!"

I watched as my mothers' face saddened, "You're right on the fact that they might not know where to look. This room that we're in, this trap, hangs suspended, though not seen, over the outer balcony of this castle."

I gulped nervously, "So if we fall we--"

"You will most likely not fall, but if you do you will land either on a small passage way with a teleporter on each end that goes to the lower level of Venheim. Or you fall onto the actual balcony where you have to walk down the stairs to reach the same destination."

"And the lower level of Venheim contains the warp ring that leads to Derris Kharlan?"

"Yes. Or at least that's what I…overheard Pronyma saying."

Raine sighed for the third time, though this time she seemed relieved. She really must be worried about Genis.

I mean, Sheena sent her a letter saying the Mithos had gone after Pronyma to get Genis back and not to worry.

But how can she not worry?

Genis is her younger brother! Of course she'd be worried. Not to mention the fact that Mithos—up until recently—used to be their enemy.

But right now it seems that Pronyma…my half sister…is their main target.

And it still hurt.

Yes it was true that I didn't get to know her that well, but when I did get to know her she was kind.

"April?"

I snapped away from my thoughts, looking back at Raine and my mother, who both seemed worried, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just, um, we should be getting out of here, right?"

Raine gave me a questioning glance, but nodded her head. She then turned to my mother, "You said that you knew a way out…ah..."

"You may call me Rachel." **(1)**

"Rachel, then. You said you knew where the exit was?"

"Yes. I think all we have to do is…well…oh…what is—?" she lifted a finger and pointed to the glass behind us. I turned around and gasped as well.

There, on the surface of the glass, was an image.

Or should I say an image in a color.

The color was purple and the…wait, was that Lloyd? Where were they?

The scene then backed up, showing us a kind of overview.

It looked like he had found everyone else.

But now they were standing in front of a teleport ring that had a glowing beam coming from it.

And they were arguing.

Well, at least Zelos and Sheena were.

Colette was crying, Presea was trying to comfort her, and Regal looked sick.

Lloyd and Kratos just stood off to the side, watching the exchange, Lloyd looked worried while his father looked annoyed.

Then the image disappeared.

"Who…?"

"Those are our friends. You know, the ones I said I came here with?"

Rachel nodded her head in understanding, a smile gracing her lips, "I would like to meet them too. But like I was saying, I think the way we get out of here is, as you saw from that example there, that this glass can show images along with colors—kind of like a Kaleidoscope,"

"Yes I can see that."

"Well I'm assuming all we have to do is try to convey a message that we want to go to where your friends are."

"And how do we do that? I mean, it sounds like a good idea an' all but…"

"I'm guessing all you have to do is touch the glass." Rachel walked forward to study the glass. She then reached a tentative hand out to touch the surface.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" both Raine and say in unison.

"Why not?"

"It'll burn you."

"Yes, there's…some type of barrier…"

"Oh…well, maybe it'll work with me since you said that I'm, well, that this is my…uh…unconscious form…?"

"Your astrobody."

"Okay then, this is my astrobody, so I should be able to go through the barrier, right?"

"Well yes, ones astrobody resembles a ghost so…"

"Good." She then proceeded once more, in the same careful manner, to reach through the invisible barrier.

----------------------------------

Lloyds POV

"So this is…what we need, right?" I asked, holding up a key.

"Yes, that is the key to Mithos' castle—to Venheim."

"Wow, Mithos sure does like to hide things in overly obvious places…" Zelos muttered.

Kratos glared at him and he audibly gulped, "Not that that's a bad thing or anything! I mean it was protected by the Derris Emblem right?"

"Yes it was. Now I suggest you hold your tongue." Then Kratos smirked, "Or didn't I already tell you to do that?"

Zelos gulped again, stepping back away from Kratos, who now had his hand on the hilt of his blade.

"Uh…" Well this certainly wasn't going to be good if they got violent.

"Well it's not like you to listen to people anyway." Sheena commented, folding her arms across her chest with a smug look on her face.

Zelos turned around to face her, "And what exactly is that supposed to mean anyway?"

"Um…"

"Please…don't fight! It's not good to fight!" Colette said from her position next to Presea, who seemed worried about something.

"But it's true!"

"So? So what if it's true? You don't like listening to people either."

"Well at least I show people more respect than you do! You flirt with women every chance you get!"

"Um…"

"Well that's just the way I am, and you should know that by now."

"It wouldn't hurt you to change though, would it?" Sheena muttered, looking away with a slightly pained expression on her face, "Stupid Chosen."

"What was that?"

"Colette…is right. We must stop this internal conflict." Presea stated in her usual, emotionless tone, "We have to find Professor Sage and April remember?"

"I know that…but…ah, whatever." Sheena shrugged and then sighed, "Let's just go."

"Yes, let's." Kratos walked over to me, taking the key from my hands, before walking over to the base of the teleport pad and placing the key into a small hole, turning it and releasing some sort of mechanism, causing the teleport ring to start glowing.

I watched in amazement as a white beam shot up to the ceiling, "So this really does lead to Venheim, doesn't it?"

"Yes it does, now let's go." Kratos stated, this time his tone showing worry.

But why would he be worried?

What was there to worry about?

Or…could it be that…that Genis really might be in trouble? Or that Mithos really could hold himself up against Pronyma?

No, that couldn't be true! He was much stronger than her, heck, she's probably already dead!

But what if she isn't?

----------------------------------------------------

**(1)—**The reason I chose 'Rachel' for April and Pronymas mothers' name is because it's my older—and only—sisters name. She also acts like her, but you won't really see the resemblance (or at least I don't see it yet) until a later chapter (when she meets with Pronyma—which will probably be in the next chapter).

**Me: **there it is, Part/Chapter Thirty-four!

**April: **Yes! And you've completed your goal of getting exactly 300 pages! –claps-

**Me: **Yup! I've got three hundred pages now! Wow…that's as much as I'm supposed to read for an independent reading book (for English) in a nine weeks.

**April: **Really? Wait, don't you have to do another project on it this weekend?

**Me: **Yeah, originally it was due Thursday, but our teacher changed it to Friday—but we don't go to school on Friday, and she won't be here Monday, and on Tuesday we have something else to do (I can't remember what) so it's due on Wednesday! Yay!

**April: **Well that's good!

**Me: **Yeah! But, uh, I probably might not update this weekend (or I might…it depends). But that's beside the point! R&R and it'll make me want to do the next chapter even more:D


	35. Awkward Situation

**Me: **Okay…I said I wouldn't have enough time to update this weekend…but here I am updating…(though it is really late on a Sunday night)

**Feral: **Well yes, it looks that way.

**To Understand: Part Thirty-five**

**Awkward Situation **

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews: **

Alaia Skyhawk: Eh-heh-heh, yup! You're right! The image Raine saw did have something to do with Feral. It was actually a scene in one of the flashback dreams Genis had back in Heimdall. But I'm glad someone noticed it! Anyways, here's the next chapter—Enjoy!

**Takokinoko: **Yes Mithos disappeared from the 'dream' but don't worry! It's not really supposed to be all that bad—he just wakes up. And yes Raine and April will get out of the trap early on in this chapter. And yeah Kratos is basically worrying about the usual stuff—mostly that weird pendant thing Zelos has and Mithos' well-being. And thanks for the good luck yet again! I'll actually try to get the project—which is basically me sewing a hat and sticking ten words on it for my English class—done early (I have 5 days to finish it so it shouldn't be that bad). And no this isn't going to be the chapter where they go to Exire. It'll actually probably be two chapters from now (maybe). But yeah, I'm never good at keeping up with what's supposed to be in each chapter—and the dream sequence with Genis and Mithos (as well as Raine and Aprils trap) is taking longer than I originally thought it would. And yes 300 pages –does happy dance- this is the most I've ever written! Now then, here's the next chapter so, yeah, enjoy!

**DraNKa-**Yes I'm very busy…at least now I'm busy, hopefully I won't be soon—I mean, Thanksgiving is coming up so yeah, I want to have at least somewhat of a break. And yes the lovely 300 pages. And to top it off I've got over 4194 hits now—I really need to draw something in thanks for all of the hits/reviews and stuff (either that or I may just use an old pic I have up on dA). And about the awkward scene—it's in this chapter! So yeah, you don't have to wait any longer:D (though it's only been two days here…) But yeah, here's the next chapter and enjoy!

**Hiranieas-**Yes the tension—it should build up until the first climax—which of course is when Pronyma goes bye-bye. And then there's the second climax (though it's no where near as stressful/angst filled) which has to do something with Mitosu and Feral. And as for what happened to Mithos, don't worry! Remember that he's still 'asleep' with Genis on the couch—he's just dreaming. So yeah, he's bound to wake up soon (but what'll happen if Raine walks in?). And yes, the others are bound to find April and Raine soon. But they'll meet after they get free from the trap and after Raine finds Genis and Mithos. But yeah, anywho, here's the next chapter so enjoy:D

**Feral: **Wow…so you actually decided to get a chapter out this weekend

**Me: **Eh, well, I got finished making/sewing the hat sooner than I thought...and all I had to do beside that was find 10 words that meant the same thing as 'Imaginative'

**Feral: **Hmm, well good for you.

**Me: **Yes, good for me. I'm done early.

**Feral:** I guess I'll do the disclaimer now: Harmony283 doesn't own ToS or any of its characters, Namco does. But she does, however, own me April any other OC's and the plot—so please don't take and use us without permission.

**Me: **Okay, that's good.

**Feral: **But I have to wonder…when am I going to show up? I mean, I haven't for the past seven/eight chapters—though I was mentioned…I still want to know.

**Authors Note: **Well, you might show up in this chapter, but I can't say exactly what chapter you'll 'reappear' in. Though it'll be after Genis, Mithos, Lloyd &Co. leave Venheim. And now, getting back to the chapter, in this chapter April, Raine, and Rachel break free from their trap and, shortly afterwards run into Lloyd and Co. Then Mithos gets trapped in a strange room and meets up with a certain someone who knows Genis very well. He then wakes up and contimplates on how to wake Genis up. But right when he's trying to be the 'handsom prince' who wakes 'sleeping beauty' from his deep slumber with a kiss, Raine walks in.

**Feral: **Hmm…a person who knows Genis really well? Who could that be...?

**Me: **I'm not _telling_. You'll just have to read and find out:D

----------------------------------------

**Raines' POV **

I watched in deep interest as the seemingly invisible barrier dissipated at the touch of Rachels' fingers.

How fascinating!

But now wasn't the time to be fascinated by this! We needed to get out of here, and I needed to get to Genis! Goddess only knows what happened to him! And those images…weren't helping any.

They just added onto this guilt.

But what was I guilty of?

Maybe…maybe I feel guilty because of this…everything that happened to Genis could have been prevented.

Maybe if I had just paid more attention, if only I had listened.

Maybe then he…wouldn't…none of this would have happened.

The only good thing that came out of all of this would probably Mithos' change in views. At least now we didn't have to fight him.

That was one thing off our list, but…

Why couldn't I…I mean, everyone else seemed to trust him. And he even went so far as to go after Pronyma and save Genis.

So why did I keep on…having this odd feeling about him?

It was like I knew he was good but I didn't want to believe it.

Like I knew his intentions were good but…but all the same they didn't seem to change.

How odd.

How incredibly odd, and disturbing.

I shivered lightly, yet again wishing I had my old outfit on instead of…this.

I felt a hand on my shoulder then, and April gave me a concerned glance.

"are you okay?" she mouthed, trying not to draw Rachels attention away from the trap she was currently trying to get through.

I nodded my head and smiled, mouthing "I'm fine."

But April still seemed worried.

Then again, she's always been that type of person--worrying about others constantly.

Like Colette.

And yet, she was different than Colette all the same.

I shook my head and focused back on Rachel, who was now feeling around the glass, as if trying to find a weak spot.

Maybe if she did we could combine our powers to break through.

Even though I'm wounded, and was told not to fight, this wasn't really fighting was it?

No, it wasn't.

"Ah-ha! I think I found something!" Rachel backed up, smiling to herself in triumph.

"Really…? What is it."

"Right here," she pointed to a particular, almost uneven looking, area on the glass dome, "This is where we need to get out." She grinned at us and we smiled back.

"That's great, but…it's kinda small. Are we supposed to break the glass or something?"

Rachel blinked, thinking it over, "Ah…I think, yes, we are. I'm not exactly sure what the effects will be, but Pronyma said something about this when she was talking to me earlier."

"You mean besides the point that we'd be here?"

"Yes. She said something about the glass being weak in some places, from when she created this. Apparently this was the last trap she created, and she had drained most of her energy…or something like that." Rachel shrugged, shaking her head from side to side.

Well she certainly didn't seem like…a mother.

I don't know what made me think that, but she did. The way she talked, her posture, and, well, her attitude towards us made me see this.

Maybe it hadn't been such a bad idea that April had been left in the care of her aunt.

But that made me wonder, why did Rachel trust Pronyma so much as to take her away from her home when she was in such a critical condition?

No, that was a stupid question.

Why wouldn't she? Pronyma is her daughter as well.

Though why she had to have a daughter like that…

"So all we have to do is destroy this area right here? Chances are the dome will shatter, after a while, due to the impact, but we should be able to. If that really is the correct way to get away from this trap."

"Raine's right…so, um, it _is_ the right way right? You didn't seem to sure…"

"Ah--yes, it is. I can't think of another way so yes…but unfortunately, I don't have a weapon. Raine, it looks like you have one, and April, you do as well."

"Okay then we're in charge--"

"No. You aren't fully healed yet! You can't fight!"

I sighed, "Yes I know that, April, but this isn't exactly 'fighting'. We're destroying something, but it won't hurt us."

April opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something more, but closed it just as quickly, looking sad.

Which made me feel bad.

I sighed again, walking closer to the glass, raising my staff, chanting some words under my breath.

"Photon!"

A mass of yellow light engulfed that particular area of the glass, causing it to crack, and, a few seconds later, shatter.

No, not shatter.

Disappear.

So, wait, this was an illusion?

"Oh…I…feel…sick."

April and I turned to face Rachel, who had a hand covering her mouth, her gaze on her left arm. **(1)**

I gasped, even though it had seemed that there hadn't been any glass, there was a cut on her arm, about midway up her forearm.

"Mother! You're hurt! But how?"

"I-I don't know…but…the blood…"

"Hold on," April raised her staff, chanting a few elven words, before calling out;

"First Aid!"

A soft green glow emitted from the tip, cascading over Rachels wound.

But it didn't heal.

Or, at least some of it did.

But not all of it.

Just like Genis'…wound…

Suddenly the glass dome disappeared.

And we fell…

Landing on the stairs of a strange room.

"Oww…my back."

"My head…"

"My arm…"

I blinked and sat up, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings.

We were sitting/laying midway up a large flight of stairs. I got up and looked behind us, and gasped.

There was a huge black dragon.

But it was asleep.

I breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to face in front of me.

There, at the bottom of the stairs was--

"Look! A warp panel! We might be able to--"

Suddenly the said warp panel glowed, and the visage of people appeared.

Wait--it was Lloyd!

"Can you two stop fighting?" he seemed to be talking to someone behind him. He then turned around, facing us, and gasped.

"Professor! April! And--?"

"What--? Oh!" then Colette noticed us.

Sheena and Zelos teleported in right after them, giving the other a hateful glare.

Then it was Regal, Presea, and Kratos, all looking respectively annoyed.

"Who are they…?" Rachel asked, holding her arm and standing one step behind/above us as if she had never fallen in the first place.

"Oh don't worry, mom, they're our friends!" April said, standing up on shaky legs, helping me stand as well.

"Professor! April, you're okay! How did you get out of your trap?"

"Oh, Rachel helped us," I motioned to Rachel, who stepped forward, smiling hesitantly.

"Oh, thank you sooo much for helping our friends!" Colette bowed quickly before straightening up and smiling at the older elven woman.

She then paused and glanced between her and April, "Are you two related?"

"Yeah, you do look kinda alike." Sheena remarked offhandidly.

"Of course we would. I'm her mother." Rachel stated, her smile replaced with a defiant frown.

"Wait…"

"But I thought…"

"Aprils mother is…dead. How can you be…?"

"Because I never _died_ in the first place."

"What?"

"It's complicated to explain, and, um, it'd take a while…besides, don't you have someone to be looking for…?"

"Ah--Genis! You're right!" I rushed down the stairs and towards the left doorway, "I'll search down this way…"

"Professor--!"

But I had already run through the door.

Heh, normally I would be the one telling them not to rush off on their own.

But now I was doing just that.

But I was worried about Genis.

"Please…please be okay!"

-----------------------------

Mithos' POV

_I groaned and sat up. _

_And immediately I noticed that I wasn't in the same room with Genis and Neo._

_Where was I? _

It was dark like the room I had been in. the only difference was the lack of, well, that odd 'dark' feeling.

_Instead this oddly calm, almost liquid, feel replaced it. _

_How strange._

_I rubbed my forehead, standing up on shaky legs, trying to see if anything was visible in this pitch-black room._

_But I still couldn't see anything._

_I moved forward, though my movement was sluggish, as if I were walking along the bottom of a lake or ocean._

_But I could breathe. So that meant I wasn't underwater._

_But how could I be underwater? _

I was still asleep, after all.

_Which reminded me, I really should be waking up soon, right? _

I mean, if Raine or someone else walked in and found us like…that…then who knows what might happen.

_Genis had told me on numerous occasions that Raine got violent, or 'over protective', of him back before my secret had been revealed. So any cuddling I had wanted to do with the smaller half-elven boy had to wait until Raine was out of the room._

_Now I sincerely hoped I hadn't moved in my sleep._

_That would be very awkward…if I had…and if Raine had walked into the room._

_Or Zelos._

_Anyone else would probably not care._

_But something told me that 'anyone else' wouldn't be the one who came and found us._

_Suddenly a red light could be seen some ways off._

_Was that the exit? _

I moved forward again, finding the underwater-like movement highly annoying.

_But none the less I had to get to, well, whatever that red light was._

_It seemed like almost forever before I reached it._

_And what I found--the very cause of the light--was a small, circular stone, red in color._

_'Oh good, I was hoping one of you would find it.' A voice--a young girls voice--stated from right behind me._

_I gasped and whirled around. _

_  
But no one was there._

_"Who…?" _

'Oh don't worry, I won't hurt you.'

_Yet again, the voice was behind me._

_"How can you say that when I can't even see you?" _

'You want to see me? Well I wish you could, but unfortunately you can't right now.'

_"And why not?" _

'The other boy, Genis, he's the reason. If you really want to see me, to know who I am, then you have to wake him up.'

_"But to wake him up I have to be awake myself." _

'Yes, you do. Hmm, well then I guess you won't be able to see me.'

_Okay…she was really starting to annoy me now…_

_"Can't you at least tell me your name?" _

'My name? Hmm, well, I guess I could…it's not like he won't get mad at me for it anyway. Besides, you really are cute. Fine then, my name is Feral.'

_"Feral…?" _

'Yup! It's nice to finally meet ya. I mean, I haven't gotten to talk with you cuz I'm currently stuck right now. But Genis has told me about you.'

_"And how do you know Genis?" _

_'My, my, aren't you the suspicious one? I've been stuck inside his head ever since he set foot in Tethe'alla.'_

_Wait….what? _

"So you're the person that--?"

'That took over him, in Heimdall? Yes and no. That woman is a part of me, but she isn't the whole me. And yes I'm the reason why it seems Genis talks to himself. He's really talking to me.'

_Now hold on a second. If this girl's the one who took over Genis' body in Heimdall--even though she says that that's not the real her--then that means she's the reason Pronyma was after Genis in the first place._

_'Oh dear, you're angry aren't you? Well I'm sorry but I can't really change what's going on with Genis right now.'_

_"Yes you can! You're inside of him aren't you? Then you can get out!" _

'That's the problem. I was inside Genis when the other me took over, but now I'm not. I'm stuck in that mirror piece Pronyma has. And besides, I can't exactly 'get out' of Genis anyway.'

_"But why not?" _

The girl laughed, a sweet, charming laugh, 'You really do ask a lot of questions. And I'm afraid you'll have to leave soon.'

_Suddenly the darkness surrounding me got lighter._

_And it didn't have that liquid feeling it had before._

_"Wait a second! You never answered my question!" _

'Of course I didn't. how can I? All I can say is that you'll find out in due time.'

_"Wha--?" _

'And that's not really an answer now is it?'

_Again the room was filled with her child-like laughter. _

_And then I felt myself fading out._

My eyes cracked open, shutting immediately as the lights from the ceiling burned in my vision.

"Ghh…" I shook my head, trying to readjust my eyes to this sudden brightness. Ironic how it wasn't normally this bright in this room.

Or maybe it felt that way because of the darkness I had been in only moments ago.

But that was just a dream…so it didn't count, right?

I groaned lightly, my whole body felt numb.

Then I remembered, Genis was on my lap.

I glanced down at him, he was still in a seemingly peaceful slumber.

Or at least, that's what I hoped.

I mean, Neo couldn't hurt Genis in his sleep…could she? That wasn't possible, right?

I sighed softly to myself, running my fingers through Genis' silverish white strands of hair.

They were still the same--soft and smooth.

I smiled, moving Genis so that now he was in a sitting position in my lap, head against my chest.

Then an idea struck me; why can't I just wake him up myself? I mean, I already knew he wasn't unconscious…so that meant he could wake up at any time.

I gently tapped his forehead, but got no response.

I sighed again, then another idea popped into my mind.

Though this one…if someone did walk in I'd have a hell of a time explaining myself…

I looked over at the doorway, focusing my mind on any noises that my angelic hearing might pick up.

I heard nothing.

I then turned my attention back to the sleeping half-elf, smiling at my idea.

After all, what sleeping beauty wouldn't wake up to a knight/princes' kiss?

I tilted the boys' face up towards mine, and then leaned down.

My lips were a bare centimeter away when I heard something.

Footsteps.

Crap! And didn't have enough time to--

"Genis--oh…"

It was Raine.

I pulled away quickly, swallowing uneasily as her eyes narrowed into slits.

Great.

I was in big trouble now.

"What are you doing? Or rather, what were you trying to do to my brother?" her voice caused unwanted chills of fear to run down my spine. I knew I was stronger than she was and that I shouldn't be afraid of her.

But I was.

Not so much if she hit me or yelled at me.

But more so if she…if she took Genis away…and didn't let me see him anymore.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

She opened her mouth, and then closed it. She looked so confused for a moment. But her anger was definitely there.

"You…were…about to--"

"Ah, there you are."

"Ack--?!"

"Kratos!"

I never thought I'd be so happy to see that man in my life. I breathed a sigh of relief as he walked into the room, passing Raine and giving her a confused, but knowing glance.

He then turned to me, his eyes showed warning, and curiosity as well.

"So you found him…he doesn't look…well."

"Of course he doesn't." I spat, "Practically all his Mana has been drained from his body!"

"I can see that, Mithos. But keeping him here is not going to make him any better."

"I know that too! It's just…well, the wound on his back opened up again…and he was unconscious when I got here."

"So you've been waiting…how long again?"

I gulped, "Uh…I don't know…"

Kratos raised an eyebrow, "You don't know?"

I shook my head, looking back down at the sleeping boy in my arms, "I fell asleep…and I just now woke up. But…but Genis is sleeping now, so it's okay to move him."

"Hmm…"

A moment of awkward silence passed between us, the only sound was Genis' calm and leveled breathing.

Suddenly pairs of footsteps could be heard racing up the nearby stairs.

"Raine, Kratos, where are you--AAH!" Lloyds voice could be heard, followed by a multitude of loud crashes and shouting.

"Oww!"

"Gah! Lloyd!"

"My head."

"My arm still hurts."

"Um…is everyone okay?"

"Please get off me…you are squishing me."

"This is…strange."

"Eww, Zelos get offa me!"

proceeded by a loud slap.

Raines face paled and Kratos' eyes widened slightly.

Raine then turned and looked out the doorway, "Is everyone okay?"

"Professor Raine!"

"No we aren't!"

"Did you find Genis?"

"Is he okay?"

I just continued to sit there as Raine and Kratos left the room to go and heal everyone.

I blinked a few times, trying to process what happened.

Once I did, I realized that this was, in a weird kind of way, incredibly funny.

Soon after that realization I burst out laughing. **(2)**

-------------------------

**(1)--**Well, I put this part in about Rachel hurting her arm because it actually happened in real life. But instead of glass, it was caused by a knife and my sisters' really bad grip (she was trying to cut some carrots and then…she dropped the knife…- -;).

**(2)--**This is, yet again, based off of one of DraNKa's fanart…it's of Mithos laughing. I wanted something to happen where Mithos laughed (since he never really laughed during the game unless it was that creepy laugh) and, well I thought of that particular piece of fan-art and that's what gave me the idea for the whole ending scene. I can't remember the name to it, unfortunately - -; but yeah, I give credit to DraNKa for making the fanart and for making me get that little idea for the end:D

**Feral: **…Wow, I actually _did_ show up in this chapter…I'm stunned.

**Me: **Well you should be proud! I wasn't going to put that part in originally, but then I just decided to cuz originally Mithos doesn't meet you until the very end. And that, to me, was way too long of a wait.

**Feral: **I see…I'm so happy though! I'm still loved!

**Me: **Yes, yes you are. Now then, as always R&R--I love reviews! They make me want to update faster. So if you do review, then you get to see the next chapter soon (that is, depending on if I'm busy or not) :D


	36. Awkward Situation II

**Me: **And there it is! Yet another chapter/Part to TU!

**April: **Yes...it was nice that you ended the last chapter on such a happy note. Everything's been so…well…serious lately.

**Me: **And the best thing to cure seriousness is laughter!

**To Understand: Part Thirty-six**

**Awkward Situation II**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews: 6**

**Hiranieas-**Yes Raine did interrupt their kiss—or almost kiss. But of course she still has yet to get an answer why. And, knowing her, she'd probably continue to ask him about it until he answered. And yet again, that'd be awkward. And yes, Mithos laughing. I wanted to put that in TU, well, because it'd be cute…and it is! And here's the next chapter—so enjoy!

**Viaroura Fox-**Yeah, I liked the ending too! Everything just seemed so tense, so why not lighten it up a bit before going back to serious-ness? Anyways, here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Yes 'ouch' would be a good way to describe what happened—or how Lloyd feels at the moment. But no, he didn't run into everyone. It's more like he tripped and everyone fell on him (it goes into detail in the beginning of this chapter about how it happened). And here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Mizuki hikari-**Mmhmm Mithos did get caught in the act, and one can imagine how, well, confused Raine feels at the moment. The one person who had been considered their enemy almost kissed her younger brother…hmm, well anyways, I'm glad you liked the chapter and here's the next one!

**Takokinoko-**Yes the fluff is back. I didn't really think I'd put any in until Exire—but then this little awkward scene just popped in my head. And yes, it's always good if you can laugh about things even though you're going through some hard times. It just shows that you have a better chance of getting through them. And yes, Raine and Kratos went to heal everyone else—but they're right outside the door and so Mithos doesn't/isn't going to try anything again. And no the reason they go to Exire doesn't have to do with Pronyma or Rachel, but I can't really say here for risk of spoiling it to people who want to find out. So if you _really_ wanna know, you can contact me via PM or on dA. And thanks again for the good luck! I just finished presenting my project yesterday (Wednesday) and it went better than I thought it would. As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter:D

**DraNKa-**Yes the update, I was actually planning on getting it out today, but then I finished it last night and I had some computer time, so yeah, I got it up earlier than expected. But hopefully I won't have any huge projects for while—we're going to start reading Julius Caesar (sp?) in English so…that could take a while. And yes, Mithos did have quite a close call there. Luckily Kratos already knew about him and Genis and came to the rescue (in a way). And don't worry, Raine will have some time to get used to them being together—and besides, she's going to have to since, at the end, they're going to be traveling together. So don't worry, she won't turn into the overprotective Martel—who seemed to _really_ hate Genis—like in 'Idiot Seraphim'. And, yeah, I definitely needed to thank you for drawing that cute pic of Mithos laughing—I think—when I commented on it—I actually said you gave me an idea…and now I'm using it! Also during all of this, Mithos' Cruxis Crystal isn't with him—it's with Genis. But, if you had been paying attention, the red stone Mithos found when he was talking with Feral _was_ the Cruxis Crystal—cuz Genis doesn't have it when he wakes up. And yes, I definitely agree—all we can do is hope, cuz it'd be sooo cute if we could hear that. And now here's the next chapter—enjoy:D

**Me: **Well here it is, the chapter that Pronyma was _supposed_ to die in.

**April: **Yes, well, she almost died, right?

**Me: **Yeah, but then that makes me wonder when she _will_ die, because I said she was going to, so she's going to.

**April: **Yes…as sad as that sounds…you're right. Now I'll do the disclaimer: Harmony283 doesn't own ToS or any of its characters. But she does, however, own me, Feral, any OC's and the plot. So don't steal us!

**Authors Note: **I'm sure they won't, April. So don't worry. Now then, in the last chapter we left off where Mithos just burst out laughing. How will everyone react to this sudden bout of, well, normal-ness? And Lloyd is still as confused as ever on the aspect of Mithos' and Genis' relationship. Also the tension in the air just keeps getting thicker, and Lloyd wonders why (most of this chapter is told in Lloyds POV)

**April: **So basically this is a continuation of last chapter?

**Me: **Yeah, basically it is. After this chapter--which was kinda filler-ish in a way--they should be getting back to the main plot line again.

**April: **Oh I see. So they'll be getting out of Venhiem either in the next chapter or the one after that?

**Me: **Well, I can't really say but I'm _hoping_ that's the way it goes...though usually things don't turn out that way...-shrug-

**-------------------------**

**Lloyds POV  
**

Yeesh, out of all the people I had ever thought would go running off like that, Raine wasn't one of them.

And yet she had.

And she didn't come back.

She hadn't even listened to us.

Now that definitely was _not_ like the Professor.

Normally _she's _the one telling us not to go running of.

Not to go somewhere or do something.

Not to battle against certain monsters.

Because she's smart and knows what's best for the team.

But this…she must be really worried about Genis.

Why wouldn't she be? I mean, Genis is her only--to our knowledge--living relative. I know I'd be worried if Kratos--wait, no…that…Kratos.

Oh…

Wait a sec. That applied to me as well, didn't it? I mean, Kratos is my father and my only living relative.

So I should worry about his well being.

But I don't.

Well that was weird.

I side glanced at Kratos, who seemed annoyed--and worried--still.

"Kratos?"

He looked up when I said his name.

"Yes, Lloyd?"

"You've been uptight since we got here. And you've been worried."

"Hmm, I'm worried only about the usual."

"Which would be…?"

"Why Pronyma turned on us, and this 'other way' Genis mentioned to Mithos."

"So you're also worried about them, aren't you?"

"Yes, in a way, I am. It seems that Pronyma has done…significant damage to things as it is." Kratos sighed, "And I…"

he shook his head, cutting himself off.

"You what?"

"It's nothing." He turned his gaze back to look the direction Raine had gone.

"I think I'll join Raine in this search. Who knows what monsters may be lurking about still."

"Huh? Ah--wait!"

it was too late.

Kratos had already teleported away.

And because of that, everyone--who had either been too caught up in their own thoughts to notice our conversation, or they had been bickering, like Sheena and Zelos--turned to face me.

"Where's Kratos going?"

"After Raine. He's, well, worried. He said that there might be other monsters around."

"That's…not good. You said Raine had to heal didn't you?" Rachel asked, turning to face her daughter.

April nodded her head, "Yes, she does. I'm worried too. But I can't…fight very well so--"

"Don't worry! I'll go with you." I said, smiling at her.

After all, I was worried too.

"And I'll go…to make sure Genis is okay." Colette piped up from her position next to Sheena, who immediately nodded her head in agreement.

"well if Lloyd's goin' then I'm definitely goin'." Zelos stated, a grin spreading on his lips.

"I believe I might as well go too." Presea murmured, eyeing the sleeping black dragon with a look of uncertainty.

"And I will go as well." Regal quickly offered, also giving the dragon a wary glance.

I smiled, "See? Now you won't have to worry about monsters! We'll protect you from them!"

"Yes…thank you."

"Now let's go!"

And with that said, I ran off through the remainder of the lobby, and through the door.

I don't know how many flights of stairs I had to run up but all I knew was that…I was really loosing my patience.

"Raine, Kratos where are you--AHH!"

And then I fell.

Crap.

"Oww!" both Colette and Sheena cried out at the same time, crashing--and falling--on me at the same time.

"Gah! Lloyd!" Zelos followed soon after.

"My head." April whimpered and I felt, yet again, more pressure added to my back.

"My arm still hurts." That was Rachel, but she didn't fall. She just floated off to the side like a hologram.

" Um…is everyone okay?" Colette asked, also floating above everyone else, with the help of her angel wings.

"Please get off me…you are squishing me." That was Presea.

"This is…strange." And then Regal right on top of her.

Suddenly Sheena cried out, obviously realizing Zelos had fallen on her.

"Eww, Zelos get offa me!"

Then she slapped him.

"Is everyone okay?" I blinked and looked up, well, as much as I could.

It was Raine.

"Professor Raine!"

"No we aren't!" Sheena cried out, still trying to get Zelos off of her while he tended to his wounded cheek.

"Did you find Genis?" Colette asked, floating over to the Professor with a concerned look on her face.

"Is he okay?" April asked, staggering to get up.

Of course, she succeeded--mostly because she had Rachels help and because she was one of the last people to fall.

Kratos then came out of the room as well, a slightly amused look on his face.

Then I heard laughing.

The type of laughing that sounded so, well, _good_ to hear.

Almost like whoever had been laughing hadn't laughed in a long while.

The most disturbing thing about the laugh, though, was that it was coming from Mithos.

Woah…wait, back up.

That laugh was coming from MITHOS?!

That seemed a bit…hard to swallow.

But why would he be laughing?

Or was he…laughing at us?

And where was Genis?

Or was Genis with Mithos?

Was he laughing too?

Almost too soon I feel weight being lifted off of me, and soon I too am sitting up and being healed.

And after that, just out of curiosity—and annoyance since the said laughter was not ceasing and desisting—I walked towards the room where both Raine and Kratos had been in.

And lo and behold, there was Mithos, now shaking with silent laughter—the kind that tickles your inside and, from experience, is seemingly impossible to stop—with Genis in his lap.

"Well don't they look cute together?"

I froze as the gentle whisper entered my ear.

Thank goodness that both Mithos, and everyone behind us, were busy.

"Zelos…?"

the red head nodded his head, a gentle smirk gracing his features.

Though how a smirk could be gentle was beyond me.

"Well, don't you think those two are cute together?" He asked again, though this time he was standing next to me.

I nodded my head dumbly, the words not really processing in my mind.

How could they look cute together?

Then I remembered what Zelos had said back in Iselia—when we had been alone in my room talking about Kratos', well, comfortableness with our new relationship.

Mithos was obviously gay.

But Genis--?

"Uh…"

"well it looks like you two are okay. What happened."

I blinked and snapped my attention back to Mithos, who had a smile—well it was more of a combination of a smile and a smirk—on his face.

He was still hold Genis protectively against him, as if he were afraid the young half-elf would get taken away.

And I couldn't blame him.

Though why Genis was the target of Pronyma was beyond me.

I think Pronyma may have said something about her reasons why—and Mithos had said Genis found another way to revive Martel—but…I couldn't remember…hmm…

"You know, you can stop staring now."

I blinked, snapping away from my thoughts at Mithos' icy tone, "Uh…eh-heh-heh…sorry. But, um, is Genis okay? I mean, is he _going_ to be okay?"

Mithos looked down at the apparently sleeping boy in his lap, a strange emotion on his face.

"I don't know."

"Well if you don't know then we have to get him somewhere where he can get help…because here, as you can see, is not the place to do that."

Raine stated, appearing on the other side of me.

"Ah…well, yeah, I know that." Mithos said, his face flushing lightly.

Raine scowled, "But first we have to move him. And I want to make sure he really _is_ sleeping."

Mithos mirrored the scowl perfectly, "I can check for you y'know. Besides he's breathing."

"Really now."

And suddenly, there was tension in the air.

"Everyone's okay now Raine!" April called out, walking up behind us.

She too noticed the tension and looked from Raine, to Mithos and the limp form of Genis.

"Is he okay?" She asked, her voice kind as she made her way past us, placing a hand on Raines shoulder to, obviously, keep her from going anywhere.

Then I remembered.

Raine was hurt too.

"I think he'll be fine, but his wounds—like the one on his back—have opened up again."

"Then we need to heal those right away." After saying this, Raine walked quickly over to where the two half-elf boys were sitting, and moved to take Genis out of Mithos' arms.

"Raine! You've already used up most of your energy getting us out of that trap and then healing everyone! I'll do it."

Raine backed up slightly, looking back at April with an annoyed look on her face.

She obviously didn't want Mithos anywhere near Genis.

Or rather, Genis anywhere near Mithos.

But that was the same thing…wasn't it?

I watched silently, Zelos squeezing my hand lightly, as Raine backed away and let April move forward to heal the two boys.

And the tension just kept getting thicker.

--------------------------------

Raines POV

I watched silently as April healed Genis and Mithos.

It pained me that I couldn't help my brother.

Especially after this…mounting guilt that had suddenly, well, decided to show up and become a permanent visitor.

I didn't want it, but it didn't care.

I sighed softly to myself, now I could hear Genis breathing.

That was good.

So Mithos hadn't lied.

But that still didn't ease my, well, wariness of him.

After what almost transpired…well, now I'm wondering _why_ Mithos tried to kiss Genis.

My mind kept screaming that he had at least a crush on him.

But the 'at least' part is what scared me the most.

Why had I thought of that anyway? It had been clear when we first met the boy, that he had taken a liking to Genis. But…had that 'liking' turned into love in such a short period of time?

And besides, they were…well, besides the age difference--which would be called pedophilism--it was unnerving that Mithos--someone who used to be our enemy, but now was our ally--had even attempted something like that.

Then I had to wonder, exactly _when_ did those feelings develop?

Genis was still young--he barely understood the concept of love.

_'But what if Mithos told Genis how he felt?' _

I shook my head. How could he? They had close to no time alone together.

Okay, maybe when we were traveling around together they had shared a hotel room. But even then I had been in to check on them every fifteen or so minutes. And I had a connecting door, so that definitely ruled that out.

And then there was that time when I had gotten sick--though I doubt it was then either because they were most likely too worried--or at least Genis was. (A/N: I don't remember if this came before the pact w/Luna, but I'm pretty sure it did--I can't find where I had it written down)

Finally there was the time when he stayed behind for when we went to go make the pact with Luna. That…well actually, it couldn't be ruled out because they _had_ spent a long time together. And Genis even said so himself that Mithos had saved his life.

So if Mithos did tell Genis about his feelings then it would've had to be then.

But that is saying if he did tell him. If he didn't--or if I'm just jumping to conclusions--which I really don't think I am--then I have nothing to worry about.

Who am I kidding?

Of course I'm worried! I'm worried about Genis' health, my own health, if Pronyma's dead or not, what is this other way Genis apparently mentioned to Mithos, and finally, if Mithos really did tell Genis about his feelings…how did he react?

"There, all done. I think his wound has closed up significantly. Though I can't say it's fully healed." April looked sad, or at least she sounded sad.

"That's good. I guess we'll just have to keep him under strict watch though."

I blinked, "And why would that be? Isn't Pronyma--?"

"No Pronyma's not dead. And neither is her accomplice--my look-alike."

"Your…look alike?" Lloyd asked, walking up to stand next to me with a confused look on his face.

"Yeah, my look-alike. He looks almost exactly like me…but he's, well, dark."

"Dark?"

"Yeah…"

"But how can you feel dark?" Lloyd asked.

And this time I had to wonder with him.

How _could_ someone feel dark? Dark was caused by lack of light…how can a feeling have a lack of light?

"I don't know…but he isn't from Sylvarant, or Tethe'alla."

"Then where is he from?"

Well Lloyd was certainly filled with questions today. I wish he had acted like that during class.

Suddenly, right when Mithos was about to open his mouth once more, Genis moved, unconsciously snuggling closer to Mithos--who then proceeded to blush.

"Uh…"

"I think Genis might be waking up!"

Mithos looked down at the boy, and my eyes fixed on him as well.

"I…don't think here would be the best place for him to wake up. Pronyma's still lurking about and she'll stop at nothing to get what she wants."

It made me wonder what he meant.

And, just as I was about to open my mouth to ask this question.

I heard a cracking sound.

"Or rather, I think we should get out of this room at least."

I nodded my head in agreement, "Yes, you're right. Something…doesn't feel right."

"Then let's leave."

I nodded my head, "Yes, lets."

"Okay then--where to?" Zelos asked from his position leaning against the doorframe.

Well that was a good question.

"Let's try getting out of here first." Mithos stated, trying to maneuver himself so that he could get up without disturbing Genis from his slumber, and keeping him in his arms.

Before anyone could make another noise, Mithos walked through the room, cradling Genis like he was his most precious belonging, and out the door, past the obviously dumbfounded group who had waited outside.

And I knew then that Mithos, as well as Genis--though he was unconcious so he didn't really count--wasn't telling us something.

---------------------------

**Me: **-sigh-there it is, I'm finally finished! I meant to update this yesterday, but then my History teacher decided to have us do this 'teach the class' day for two days next week (the only two days we go to school since it's Thanksgiving) and I had to work on that all night.

**April: **But that does have its rewards doesn't it?

**Me: **If you mean me getting stuck with someone who I don't think will work and has me doing the Power Point presentation and will suddenly decide to be absent on the day of the presentation, then no I don't expect any rewards.

**April: **…well, um, I guess you can just get it over with then.

**Me: **Yeah, I guess so. Now then, putting all that aside, please R&R! Reviews will make me update faster:D


	37. Meeting the Darkness I

**Me: **And here is Chapter/Part Thirty-seven! And I have to sincerely apologize for the late update -bows head in apology-

**April: **Ah yes, you do don't you? What happened again?

**Me: **Oh, my computer--the one that I typed this on--is fine. But the Internet connection on my dads computer--the only computer with Internet access--decided to die this past weekend, and it decided to stay that way until Tuesday (today's Thursday) and yesterday it wasn't working too well either (it was _really_ slow). So, yeah, I'm updating on Thanksgiving.

**April: **Well, it's better late than never--like you always say--right?

**Me: **Right!

**To Understand: Part Thirty-seven**

**Meeting the Darkness I  
**

**Reviews: **

Takokinoko-Yes Raine will need more time to think over Genis and Mithos' relationship—but she'll, hopefully, come to see some reason and accept it. Now then, yes part of the reason they go to Exire is to escape from the castle, but it mostly has to do with something you—hopefully—find out at the end of this chapter. As for what that is…well, you said you didn't want to spoil yourself too much so I'll just say that it has to do with Maxwell and Martel. And I'm glad you liked the ending—and thanks for the good luck yet again! Anyway, here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Mizuki hikari-**Yes Genis and Mithos are so cute together! Now you said to update, so I update! Enjoy!

**Hiranieas-**Yes, picturing Mithos laughing…well, yes—it'd be so adorable to see! And you want an update? So I update! Here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Yes that's basically what happened to Lloyd. I re-read the last chapter and yeah, I was being a bit vague on what exactly happened (though it was in Mithos' POV and he didn't see them fall). But yeah, I'm glad you liked the chapter and here's the next one!

**Viaroura Fox-**Eh-heh-heh I'm glad you liked the whole cradling scene at the end, and I'm glad you could picture it perfectly! And yes, Raine is a tad bit overprotective of Genis, but yes, you do have to take into consideration that he is Raines only family left.

**DraNKa-**I'm really glad you liked you liked that line! After I finished writing that chapter I didn't think it had much in it. But I forgot that I put that line in there. Now then, here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**April: **…well you certainly did take a while to start writing this…

**Me: **Eh, well I actually kinda didn't feel like it, the cold weather puts me in a bad/sad uncreative mood and it's been cold since Sunday. And of course, the aforementioned Internet problem kinda slowed me down as well since I didn't know when it was going to be fixed.

**April: **Oh I see. Hmm, well I'll do the disclaimer now: Harmony283 does own ToS or any of its characters; Namco does. She does, however, own Feral any other OC's the Plot and me!

**Authors Note: **That's good. Now then, in this chapter it shows Lloyd, Mithos, Genis and co trying to escape from Venheim. But of course that doesn't go as planned and they end up running into Pronyma and Mitosu--who want Genis! And, yeah, Mithos isn't planning on letting go of Genis anytime soon, so he teleports away right before the fight and goes to, well, Exire! (It doesn't say that's where he goes, but it is where he goes)

**April: **I see…so basically you're deciding to have Mithos and Genis go to Exire earlier than everyone else?

**Me: **Yeah because when they actually get to Exire Raine would seem very OOC if she just left him alone with Mithos.

**April: **Hmm, well that _is_ a good point. But how will Lloyd and everyone else know where they went?

**Me: **Don't worry about it, they'll figure it out.

------------------------------

**Mithos' POV  
**

I ignored the people surrounding me, or rather, the way they looked at me with shock and confusion--too afraid to speak.

They didn't know what was going on, so of course they'd be confused as to why I'm carrying a sleeping Genis out of the room.

Who wouldn't be?

They have no idea what's going on. And I'm sure they won't until we get somewhere safer than this. Especially since Pronyma isn't dead.

I'm wondering now why they hadn't run into her in the lobby. After all, that's the fastest way they would have come, and it was the room that housed the warp ring that led back down to Derris Kharlan.

And now we have to get there.

I just hope we won't run into her again…or Mitosu.

I'm sure Lloyd and the others are more than strong enough to take on Pronyma…but Mitosu, well, he's almost my equal in strength, they might not be able to defeat him and if they went up against both of them at the same time—

Even with my, and Kratos', help it would still be hard.

I sighed softly to myself maneuvering down the stairs, trying not to trip and fall like Lloyd had most likely done only minutes ago.

I then made my way towards the door that led out into the main room…

And I knew something was, well, not right.

"Wait a second Mithos!"

It was Lloyd.

What did he want?

I stopped and waited for the brunette to catch up, he seemed slightly worn out, but then again, what did I expect? He's probably been running round all day.

First finding his friends, then running after Raine--and falling in the process--and now running after me.

"What?"

"You…Genis…"

"I said that I wanted to find a better place to talk about that now didn't I? Besides, Pronyma isn't dead, and neither is her accomplice."

"But we can take them on and beat them if they show up! I wanna know now! I mean, how can you expect us not to worry--?"

"I'm not expecting you not to worry, I'm just saying I don't want to tell you here." I paused, sighing and shaking my head, "Besides--though I don't have a doubt that you can beat Pronyma…her accomplice is almost at equal strength to my own…and his dark magic--it's unlike any in Sylvarant or Tethe'alla."

I looked up to see what his expression would be.

And it was determined, "So? We can still beat him!"

Well…he was Lloyd, did I really expect him to bow down so easily? I mean, he used to be my enemy so I knew he didn't give up easily.

"Though your bravery is cunning--"

"--It is not wise." Kratos, who had walked up behind Lloyd in an almost stiff manner, finished for me, his eyes showing as much worry as his posture did.

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen Kratos look so nervous before.

And something told me it wasn't just about the situation at hand.

"And why is it not wise?! If we go up against them now then we can beat the crap outta them and then we won't have to deal with them anymore!" Lloyd cried out, staring at Kratos with a childlike pout on his face, his hands clenched into fists.

"Because Mithos is right, earlier…earlier Zelos showed me the locket that you found…"

A locket?

Lloyd look just about as clueless as I did, then he seemed to understand, "Oh you mean right before we got Colette and Sheena back?"

Kratos nodded his head, "Yes. It had an…ominous aura to it and it seemed to be soaked through with a type of darkness that not only can be seen, but felt as well." Kratos' auburn gaze searched the room briefly, "And that same dark feeling is here, though it is…extremely faint now." He then turned to face me, hoping that I would know at least somewhat of what he was talking about.

And thankfully for him, I did.

"I don't know about this locket that you found, but yes, Pronyma used some of this dark magic--the darkness that can also be felt. That's--" I looked down at Genis, who was sleeping peacefully in my arms, "how she hurt Genis."

Needless to say, Kratos seemed surprised, "Pronyma wields this type of power as well?"

I nodded my head, "Yes, she does. I don't know how she obtained that ability, but she did." I turned to walk away once more, but another pair of footsteps coming up behind me, and a worried voice stopped me.

"She used this dark power to hurt Genis?" Raine--the bearer of the worried voice--asked softly from her position next to Kratos. April was standing right next to her, a worried expression on her face as well.

"Was it, like this locket, in a certain shape?" Zelos suddenly butted in, pulling out a black locket from his pants pocket.

And the first thing that hit me was how…potent the darkness smelled. So darkness had a smell now too? I shook my head, "That…yes…it did have a shape."

"What was it?"

"Chains."

"…Chains…?" April asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Yes, chains. She used Chains to bind, and try to choke, Genis. They were resistant to all forms of physical attacks, and magic, except for light magic…" I trailed off when I noticed Raines pale--or should I say paler--complexion.

"Wh-what…? She tried to…torture him…? Why?"

I stared at her, "Because he is the key. He has something she wants. Now I really would like to get out of here before Pronyma and Mitosu decide to come and find us."

"Mitosu?"

"My look-alike: Pronyma's accomplice. Now let's go." I turned back around, hurrying back down the stairs to the main room.

Soon after I heard the others, reluctantly at first, follow me.

------------------

Lloyds POV

I watched as Mithos continued on, walking down the stairs towards the lobby. I had heard the recent conversation and it was just starting to sink into my head.

Genis was…Pronyma had…tortured him?

That seemed, well, hard to believe.

And Genis was the key? I think I remember Pronyma saying something like that back in Heimdall, but what kind of 'key' was Genis?

Well I knew a key was used to unlock something, and that something was usually _very_ important or valuable.

So it must be something that Pronyma wants.

But what could someone like Pronyma want?

"What'cha thinkin' about?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at this soft question voiced in my ear. I turned to face Zelos, who grinned.

"Z-Zelos…don't do that!"

"Well what were you thinking of?" he asked as we continued walking down the stairs, "You seemed to be thinkin' really hard because, as you can see, we're behind."

That was true, "Well, um, I guess you could say that I was wondering what type of 'key' Genis is."

Zelos threw me a questioning glance, "What?"

"I mean, you know how keys unlock doors or chests or something?"

Zelos nodded his head.

"Well what does Genis unlock?"

Zelos tilted his head to the side, thinking this over, "Hmm, good question. But as you know, Genis's out like a light, and Mithos refuses to tell us anything until we get out of this place."

"But where will we go when we get out? Won't Pronyma--assuming she'll still be alive after this--come after us again?"

"I guess he wants to take us somewhere safe. And besides, he also needs to tell us about this 'other way' of reviving Martel."

"ah! You're right! The other way Genis found!"

"Yeah…it's amazing that he actually did find a way. That and that he can read in ancient elvish."

"…? What?"

"Those old documents that the elder had given him to read, I got a chance to look through them and it was in ancient elvish--I couldn't even read it."

"And you know how to read elvish?"

Zelos sweatdropped, "Ah, well, I know some."

"Really? That's cool. But I guess Raine's the one who taught him--since she knows how to as well."

"True, True."

Then we saw the exit.

And everyone was standing there waiting for us.

"Wow you two sure took your time." Sheena remarked off handedly.

"Eh, well we were just talkin. We can go now."

Mithos, who was at the head of the group, with Genis still in his arms, nodded his head, "Yes," And walked out through the door.

And that's when I felt it.

This really…strange…black feeling.

That and Rachel was no where to be seen.

"Huh?"

Soon enough I was out in the lobby as well, and needless to say, Mithos wasn't wasting any time, he was already half-way across to the teleporter, with Raine and April close behind.

"And where do you think you're going?" A voice--that sounded so much like Mithos and yet so much like someone else, someone more evil than Mithos, at the same time--asked in a curious tone that echoed off the walls of the room.

Mithos froze, and turned around, "Mitosu…" he growled, looking around for the person he had told us was his counterpart.

"You know I'm not too thrilled about you hitting me in the head earlier." The voice was now much closer.

And it was coming from a black orb that was floating down from the ceiling.

Once it reached the ground it solidified, changing its shape into that of a human--or half-elven, elf--boy around the same height as Mithos.

"Wha--?"

And there standing before us was an almost direct replica of Mithos--only black.

And…and…that feeling of darkness seemed to intensify.

"So you…are Mitosu." Kratos stated, moving forward first. He gave one quick glance at Mithos, as if telling him to go on through with Mithos.

And Mithos gave a quick nod in return, backing up slowly.

"And I'll ask this again, where do you think you're going with that boy?"

Mitosu had now teleported closer to Mithos, though Kratos drawing his blade captured his attention.

"You don't honestly believe that you can beat me?" a devilish smirk played across his lips, "You might have been Mithos' teacher all those thousands of years ago, but he did beat you. And since he is me, in a sense, and I am him, what makes you think you can beat me?"

Kratos' eyes widened slightly, and even I had to wonder how Mitosu knew that.

I mean, they obviously weren't the same person, and I highly doubt Mithos would give away any information about himself for free so…how did he know that?

"So that's what you…found out…?" Mithos murmured under his breath, backing up slowly once more.

Now he was on the very edge of the teleporting ring.

"Yes that is what I found out. But you have yet to tell me what you found out about me."

Now Mithos had a smirk on his lips, mimicking exactly to the one on his dark counterparts face, "You mean the one with Neo or the one of that family?"

Mitosu's eyes widened, "Wha--?"

And then Mithos took one last step backwards, now in the center of the teleport ring, and teleported away.

…Wait as second! He was leaving us here to--

"Dammit! Pronyma get down here!" Mitosu shouted, sounding, well, generally pissed off.

"What is it, Mitosu?" Now Pronymas voice echoed off the walls.

"It's Mithos…he got away with Genis."

"_What_?"

"Yes he got away, and yes I know Neo's going to be mad. But--"

Pronyma cut him off, "Yes Neo's going to be mad. What do you propose we do about it?"

"Look! I have no idea what we're going to do about it but what makes this whole situation worse is that he knows--he's seen what Neo looks like! And he also knows about, or rather he's seen what--argh! Never mind!" He then turned back to face us, and that's when I noticed the color of his eyes.

Blood red.

"We have to take care of you first."

"And then going after Genis will be easier."

"But why do you want Genis?" I asked, glaring at them while drawing my swords.

"Why do we want him? I thought I already said why."

"Well if you did then I just wasn't listening."

"Well that's too bad."

"But we do know that he's the key to something."

Pronyma blinked, and looked down, "So you did decide to come, April."

"Yes I did."

"Then you met mother, right?"

"Yes I did. But she said she had to go back."

"Of course she did. There's a price to pay for keeping her alive when she was supposed to die."

"Then let her die. She's not even…she's not even human anymore. She's just a ghost."

Pronyma shook her head, "I won't kill her unless she wants me to, and she doesn't want to die."

"But she can't say that she's happy either."

"That's true."

"_Pronyma_."

"Fine, fine," she then closed her eyes, a black magic circle unlike any I had ever seen before appeared below her, turning into a kind of shield.

"Faors Darkness Technique--Darkness Mana Chain!" she called out, and suddenly the shield melted into the ground, then it rose back up into a…chain.

So that's what she used on Genis.

"Wha--"

"Bind our enemies!"

Crap.

What was it that Mithos said…?

Oh yeah, this chain was resistant to all forms of physical attacks. So only magic is effective against it.

"Photon!"

"Judgement!"

"Judgement!"

Raine, Kratos, and Colette managed to block some of the chain from reaching us. But it just regenerated.

Well that wasn't good.

That and the fact the Raine just collapsed.

"Raine! Healing Circle!" April cried out, a green magic circle appeared underneath Raine, healing her in an instant.

Just as she finished casting that spell, the chain--which had somehow split into about nine different chains--came out from under her, once piece wrapping itself around her and dragging her up into the air.

"April--!"

Then Presea screamed out as another chain wrapped around her waist, dragging her up as well.

Dammit!

"What do we do?!?" I cried out, gripping the hilts of my swords in my hand.

-----------------------

**Me: **And there it is, Chapter/Part Thirty-seven! Yes I know it's a bit short than the last few chapters, but I really couldn't put much else in this chapter without it ruining the flow.

**April: **-nods head-yes, flow is very important. But I'm surprised that you added in the part with the chain so soon…

**Me: **There is a reason for that, but you'll figure it out a bit later on in the fight. And yet again, I don't think I do too well with the fighting scenes but, meh, this has to happen so yeah, I have to write it.

**April: **True, true.

**Me: **Now then, R&R Please! Hopefully the Internet connection'll be better by the time I update next (which'll probably be sometime during the weekend or early next week)--so yeah, you won't have to wait as long! Besides, reviews make me want to update faster! Ra!

**April: **No truly, they do…


	38. Meeting the Darkness II

**Me: **And here's Chapter/Part 38! And yet again I have to apologize, I would've gotten this out on Sunday (today's Tuesday) but wouldn't let me upload! (Though those who are on dA already know this if you've read my journal).

**Feral: **Well you've got this chapter uploaded so you really shouldn't be worrying about it anymore.

**Me: **…Yeah I guess. I also noticed that, for the last chapter, the number of words could be said both ways and it'd still be the same (121121)

**Feral: **…and what does that have to do with anything?

**Me: **It was just some interesting info! Yeesh…

**To Understand: Part Thirty-eight**

**Meeting the Darkness II **

By Harmony283

**Reviews:**

**DraNKa-**Eh-heh-heh yeah it's a late update (seven days here) but I couldn't really do much with the internet connection an' all (I'm not all that Computer smart so I'd probably just make it worse if I tried to fix it - -;). And yes I am alive so do not worry. As for what's going on in Genis' head, well, you'll actually find out in this chapter! And yes, Lloyd and everyone else with him are in trouble. Will they be okay? Or will they not be okay?

**Takokinoko-**Ah yeah, Mitosu and Pronyma really do have good timing don't they? And yeah, Mithos only gets away with Genis. Also, Lloyd and everyone else shouldn't really have that much of a problem, and besides, if Pronyma and Mitosu got Genis--then something ten times as worse could have happened. And yes, Exire is their destination. I hope I don't have anymore Internet problems either - -; it's a real pain. But anyways, here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Ah yes, how _are_ Lloyd and the others going to get Presea and April back? Hmm, I wonder…well, as always thanks for the review and here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Hiranieas-**Ah well, yes it was kinda mean for Genis to just up and leave everyone else (either he had a LOT of faith in them—which hopefully he did—or he just didn't care - -;). But yeah, if Pronyma got a hold of Genis things would've been a whole lot worse than they were. And yes Pronyma hasn't died yet, but she will! I said she will so she will! –nods head-now then, I'm glad you liked the chapter and here's the next one—enjoy!

**Liebchen-chan-**Wow…so many compliments in one review! -hugs-I'm really glad you like the fanfic--and yeah, reading it in one sitting can be a bit much. But yeah, I'm glad you like the plot--and don't worry, there will be fluff when they reach Exire. Also thank you so much for thinking that my fanfic is good enough to be put on your favorites list! Anyways, here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**LittleLinor**-sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter (especially since I said it'd be up on Sunday)! But yeah, here it is. And yes, it was short mostly on part because, like I said on the last chapter, I wasn't feeling too creative. But yeah, I'm glad you decided to review for TU here as well! -hugs- And don't worry, Genis actually _does_ wake up in this chapter! (I keep thinking I've already uploaded this chapter since I'm working on Part 39) Now then, here's the next chapter--enjoy:D

**Feral: **So this is the continuation of the fight that you showed at the end of the last chapter, right?

**Me: **Right. And like April said at the end of the last chapter, I kinda changed it a bit (I originally had it where Pronyma used the Mana chains as a last resort but now she's using them in the beginning).

**Feral: **Hmm, I wonder how that'll work out. I mean, Raine is too weak to help so that leaves Kratos, Colette, and possibly Zelos to help out with the light based magic attacks.

**Me: **Yup that's basically it.

**Feral: **Ah, okay, so I'll do the disclaimer now: Harmony283 doesn't own ToS or any of its characters, Namco does. She does however, own the plot, April, any other OC's and me.

**Authors Note: **Okay then, now everyone knows Genis has been 'asleep' since Mithos found him, so what's going on inside of his head and is he really okay? Also will April and Presea be okay? And how will Lloyd and Co beat this Pronyma/Mitosu combo?

**Feral: **Yeah…I wonder. And don't I show up in this chapter as well?

**Me: **You might, or you might not.

**Feral: **Now you're being indecisive…

**Me: **No one ever said that that was a bad thing…

**Feral: **But it is…

**Me: **Whatever.

----------------------------

**Genis' POV  
**

"Nng…" I sat up, shaking my head from side to side, wondering what on earth had just happened.

Then I heard a ticking sound, like a clock, followed by a dripping sound.

"Wha--?"

_'Oh! You're finally awake. I was getting worried.'_ Feral stated from her chair next to the bed I was in.

Wait…bed? How could I be in a bed?

"Uh Feral?"

she just blinked at me, her silver eyes--which now seemed to be blue--giving me a blank questioning look, _'Yes?'_

"Where are we?"

_'In the Mirror room.'_

"But this--"

_'Yes, it doesn't look much like it did last time, but I'm thankful for the change. Only a few moments ago this place was underwater in a cave.' _She shuddered, _'It was horrible and it smelt like fish.' _

"Uh…but how can this place change…?"

_'I think either Pronyma did something to it, or it's the after math of being exposed to a large amount of mana. After all, Derris Kharlan is on a big comet made out of Mana.' _

"That's true…but how did I get from Neo to…here?"

Feral sighed and shook her head, _'You mean you don't remember?'_

I grimaced, "Did I get mad again?"

_'Even if you did, and even if you lost your memory of that, well, you would still remember. Besides, you couldn't've hurt Neo anyway.'_

"Wha--?"

_'It's just like how she couldn't hurt you because you weren't born yet.'_

"So…?"

_'…It's because you did not exist then that you couldn't hurt her even if you tried. That's why your movement was restrained.'_

"And Mithos' wasn't because he's over 4000 years old?"

_'That's how old he is?' _Now Ferals tone was curious.

"Y-Yeah…he is."

_'My, when I met him he didn't look that much older than you!' _

"What do you mean 'when you I met him'? The only time you've actually seen him is through me…right?"

_'Well yes and no. Yes I can usually see him through you, but since I'm not in your head currently I couldn't and I wanted to meet him personally. Unfortunately when I teleported him away from Neo--like I did you--I was still in the underwater cave.' _

"Really now? So do you know where we are now?"

_'I'm assuming the home you were born in.' _

"And how do you know what it looks like?"

_'I've been in it once before, to retrieve something for your father. But that was a long time ago…' _

"Well it obviously had to be if my mom didn't know about you."

_'Well she never did, and I suppose even if she did, she would have forgotten.' _Feral murmured, as if she wasn't too sure of her answer. She then looked back at me, concern now present in her usually unreadable face, _'But that's besides the point. Can you stand?'_

I blinked, "Uh, I don't know…"

_'Well then, why don't you try? Because I'm pretty sure that if you can stand, then you can call out your wings and get out of here--or 'wake up'.' _She then smirked, _'Besides, I think Mithos has gotten in enough trouble from having you on his lap.' _

"What…?"

_'It doesn't matter now, but you should wake up soon.'_

I nodded my head, knowing that she was right about that, and most likely about Mithos carrying me. I knew that Raine probably found us first, and if she did then Mithos would've had a difficult time explaining why I had been sitting on his lap the whole time.

I flushed as the reason why I had been in his lap came to mind. Or rather, what he…did.

_'What's wrong? Your face is flushed…? Ooh! Did you do something with Mithos…?' _her tone was curious, but taunting at the same time.

I shot out of the bed and glared at her, my cheeks steadily getting redder at the light tone she was using, "And so what if we did?"

_'You're standing.' _

"Huh?"

_'You're standing.' _

I looked down, and sure enough--I was. I sighed in relief, "That's good, now I can get out of here."

_'True, but are you strong enough to call out your wings?'_

"What do you mean?"

_'I mean, well, you were extremely weak when you got here--almost all of your mana had been drained from your body.' _Feral then paused, as if contemplating what to say next, _'But now…you seem fine. Mithos must have found your sister or someone else to heal you…you could try.' _

"And I plan to. I wanna know what's happening!"

_'Though that might not be the best solution…just remember, get that Mirror piece away from Pronyma.' _

"And…? Oh yeah, cuz you're in that mirror piece aren't you?"

Feral nodded her head _,"Yes and I can't get out--or contact you--unless it's in your possession or in the actual mirror it came from.' _

"I…see. Okay then, at least I'll have something to do when I wake up."

_'True. Now I won't be seeing you for a while…' _She trailed off, floating over to me. She then smiled, _'You have Mithos' Cruxis Crystal?'_

"Eh? Oh…yeah I should have it…" I rummaged through my pockets, searching for the read Cruxis Crystal…

…But I couldn't find it.

_'You don't have it do you?'_

"N-no I don't…Mithos is going to get mad at me for loosing it!"

_'No he won't.'_

I gave Feral a questioning look, "What?"

_'He most likely has it with him. Either he took it from you while you were sleeping, or it got teleported with him when I called for him.' _

Well that kind of made sense.

"So I guess he'll have it when I wake up so…I should get going now shouldn't I?"

Feral nodded her head, _'Yes you should. I can't…sense Pronyma anywhere near me, so she obviously has put me somewhere safe for the time being, so now you have to find that place.' _

"Okay then. I'm guessing we're still in the Tower of Salvation or whatever, so…"

_'Just go.' _

"Fine, fine, yeesh." I grumbled turning away from the silver haired girl next to me, and towards the ceiling.

I then closed my eyes, remembering what my wings felt, and looked, like. And, soon after, I felt the familiar stinging pain in my back as they burst through.

I looked faintly back at them and smiled. They weren't red anymore. They were blue.

_'Well at least you can do that much…now you remember what to do right?'_

"Right, I'll imagine wherever Mithos is…and I'll go there!"

And I did--the familiar falling sensation engulfed me once more.

And then the blackness…

I gasped out loud and felt Mithos…

"Genis!"

----------------------------

Mithos' POV

I stared down at the half-elven boy in my arms, slightly shocked as I heard him trying to gasp for air, as if breathing was the hardest thing he had done in a while.

I stopped moving, and maneuvered so that I was sitting down on a ledge. I then promptly waited for Genis' breathing to get back to normal. I studied him during this time, watching as his eyes, which had been seriously dilated, go back to normal. And his face, which had been unnaturally pale, flush back with the color of the living.

"M…Mithos…?" He asked weakly, grasping onto my shirtfront as if I was his anchor to this world. He looked so weak then, and tired.

"Yes Genis?"

"Where…?"

"We're still in Derris Kharlan." I answered, which seemed to surprise him.

"Not…Venheim?"

"No, we aren't in Venheim anymore. And you should be glad too."

He gave me a questioning look.

"Pronyma's back."

His eyes widened.

"Don't worry, your friends…are going up against her now." I closed my eyes, "But Mitosu…Mitosu's there as well."

Genis' eyes just widened even more, "Wha--! Raine--" he tried to get up, but quickly stopped, wincing in pain.

"Raine…I don't know if she'll be okay, but I'm sure your friends wouldn't let any harm come to her." My eyes softened, Genis still looked…so distressed. I needed to think of something to say for him to calm down, "Besides, I have faith that they will beat her--and then Mitosu--so you have to have faith too."

Genis did seem to relax after that, but he still seemed worried. He then looked up at me, his eyes showing confusion, "You're…Cruxis…Crystal?"

"What?"

"I…don't…Feral said you had…it."

"Feral?"

Genis nodded his head sleepily, looking about ready to just collapse in my arms from exhaustion.

"I…see. So she really wasn't lying."

"No…she wasn't. She doesn't lie. But…she said she met you and that you had the Cruxis Crystal."

"Well if she doesn't lie then I'm assuming that yes, I do have it. But first," I leaned down, kissing him gently on the forehead, "You come first."

Genis blushed at this, though he nuzzled closer, trying to find a comfortable position to, as he showed a few seconds later, sleep in.

I smiled as he began to doze, and ran my fingers through his silver locks of hair, emitting another soft purr from the depths of his throat.

----------------------------

Lloyds POV

We all watched helplessly as Presea and April were dragged farther up into the air, and finally, somewhere up high to the point where we couldn't see them anymore, we heard screaming.

And then the chains came back down with no signs of the two ever being in their grasp.

"Dammit! We have to…we have to get them back!" I cried out, gripping my swords so tightly that I could've sworn I'd break them in half.

"Lloyd calm down. It will do you no good to get angry now."

"I know that dammit!"

"The old man--I mean Kratos--is right," Zelos stated, walking up to the left of me, "I think we'd have a better chance of getting somewhere if we killed off Pronyma first--or at least made her faint."

Well that made sense but…

"What Zelos says is true." Raine said, staggering up from her position on the floor, "Besides, you aren't the only one angered by this…" she then turned her gaze up to the chain that had had April in its grasp, her grip on her staff tightening as she did so.

"I…know that. But how do we get close to Pronyma with those chains…?"

"We'll block it with Judgement, and then you, as well as Kratos and anyone else, can run in." Zelos offered, grinning at me reassuringly.

"You know Judgement?"

Zelos sweatdropped, "Well you could say that it just comes with the package…" he noticed my confused stare, "…of being an Angel, I mean."

"Oh."

"That's true. Even Yuan knows that, which reminds me--he should be here."

"He should?"

"Yes. Though I can understand why he left, since he controls the transportation system between the two worlds, but he should have arrived her by now."

"Well if he says he's going to come, then we might as well fight them off until he does come." Regal stated, also joining in our little group talk.

"Okay then!" I punched the air with my fist, "Anyone who can cast light spells attack the chain, and Sheena you can cast Luna too--but since it takes up a lot of Mana you might wanna wait on that."

Sheena merely nodded her head.

I turned to Raine, "And you'll be in charge of healing since you aren't fully healed enough to do any serious battling."

"Yes…I understand."

Right as she said that, a chain came crashing down next to us.

"Are you done talking?" Pronyma asked, sounding annoyed.

"Yeah we are, now everyone you know what to do!"

They nodded their heads, and then moved to their positions.

Zelos, Kratos, and Colette murmured their individual spells for Judgement, and soon many rays of light cascaded down onto the battle field, some hitting Pronyma, the chains, and even Mitosu--who seemed to just be watching this fight and not participating in it at all.

Pronyma collapsed onto the ground, but quickly got up again, glaring at us.

And that's when Regal Sheena, Kratos, and I ran forward, swords--and in Sheena's case, cards--drawn.

Of course Pronyma wasn't completely helpless, she cast her own spells as well--which included Beast Agerasium, Spread, and Ice Tornado--to which Raine and Zelos quickly healed us.

Then the chains came back to life and Kratos quickly teleported back to where Zelos and Colette were, readying yet another attack while Regal continued to kick Pronyma, trying to get her off balance, and I just dodged the oncoming chains.

That is, until, I felt one of these said chains wrapping around my left leg.

Crap!

Zelos, who ironically enough seemed to be the fastest spell caster at the moment, saw this first and cried out, "Judgement!" Ahead of the two others.

This of course, landed a direct hit, causing the chain to near distentagrate around my leg.

But the strangest thing was…

It didn't regenerate.

"What…?"

Zelos also seemed surprised by this, rushing over to me as the two other powerful Judgement attacks released their wrath on the unsuspecting Pronyma.

"How…?"

"Are you okay Lloyd?" Kratos asked, blocking us from a Beast attack.

"Yeah I'm fine…but she only has eight chains left!"

"Maybe the chains need to be destroyed while touching someone!" Zelos cried out, seeming happy at his new discovery.

"That may be the case…but right now we need to--Ghh!" Kratos was thrown into the air as a Spread attack came out from underneath him.

"Uh, yeah, he's right." I said as I watched Kratos land a few feet off before rushing back in to attack Pronyma.

We followed shortly after, whacking at her defenses until the chains rose once more.

Well this certainly was going to take a while.

And in this while I hoped that Mithos had somehow gotten Genis out of Derris Kharlan and back to the Tower of Salvation.

But where would they go after that?

I shook my head, clearing them of these thoughts as I delivered what I hoped would be the final blow.

Causing Pronyma to fall on the ground in a dead faint.

Or at least close to a faint.

"Oww…how could this happen?" she whispered to herself, glaring up at us, holding her stomach as the various wounds on her arms and legs bled.

"I don't know Pronyma, but you should stand aside." Mitosu stated, finally realizing that he should participate.

I glared at him, "Oh and now you're deciding to join in the fight?"

"Well yes I am. Do you have anything left to say before you die?" He asked, smirking at us.

I just glared at him, "Shouldn't it be do _you_ have anything to say before _you_ die?"

"Oh aren't you the confident one?" his smirk only widened. And then he laughed, "Well come to think of it, I do have something to say--but it does not mean I think I'm going to die."

"And what would that be?" Kratos asked, coming to stand right next to me.

"That is, to say," he paused, his eyes narrowing, "I hope you like Meeting the Darkness!"

And then the room went black.

----------------------------------

**Me: **And there's the end of Chapter/Part 38!

**Feral: **Yes it seems that way…but where did April and Presea go?

**Me: **You'll figure that out in the next chapter.

**Feral: **And also, when are Genis and Mithos going to leave Derris Kharlan?

**Me: **You'll figure that out in the next chapter too! Just be patient!

**Feral: **Fine, fine, I guess I will be. And at least you're getting this chapter out on time.

**Me: **Yeah, the Internet doesn't seem to be acting up at all anymore so yeah, it's all good. Which reminds me, R&R! I love reviews and they make me want to update faster! Raa!


	39. Meeting the Darkness III

**Me: **And here it is! Chapter/Part 39!

**April: **Yup! And since it took such a long time uploading Part 38 you got to work on this one early!

**Me: **That's true

**To Understand: Part Thirty-nine**

**Meeting the Darkness III **

Reviews:

**Takokinoko-**Yup Genis finally woke up! I was actually planning on having him wake up while Mithos was having his laughing fit--but then I realized I didn't so…yeah he wakes up in this chapter. I also realized that Mithos had to get his Cruxis Crystal back--he needs to use his wings soon--so yeah, that helped with that problem too! And I'm glad you like the plot twist--I actually wasn't supposed to put this whole fighting scene in, or at least I didn't want to, but I did so yeah, this still didn't go as planned. And here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**DraNKa-**I'm a life saver? Well I guess I am if you've been studying for exams/reading really hard books for the past--well--whenever you started studying/reading. And you had an exam yesterday? We don't have ours till mid-December, but I guess I should say I hope you did well! And is Yuan going to come to the rescue? I think it's safe to say that yes, he will--or at least he'll show up! Now here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Ah yeah, things are just starting to heat up with Lloyd and Co. fighting Mitosu. As for if he'll use that paralyzing technique--you'll just have to see. But since that _is_ under his arsenal of attacks, you can kinda expect him to do that (though unlike Pronyma, who used her best attack first, he'll most likely save it for last).

**LittleLinor-**Yeah, basically I do update if I get lots of positive feedback--or at least it helps me with writing it faster since I either might not get any computer time that day (which happens a lot) or something happens and the Internet is down (I _really_ hope I don't jinx it like I did last time - -; ). But yeah, about the Mithos/Genis fluff--you'll see some starting in TU 40—and in Exire. Now then, here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Hiranieas-**Yeah the thing kept saying 'error send report insert web address that didn't work please and this will be logged'. That really annoyed me. - -; And, I'm sure you already know this by now, but yes I have read over your fanfic--and yes I reviewed for it. And yeah, I said Pronyma's going to die--and she will. I just don't know when that's going to happen. It'll probably happen after they get done with Exire--however many chapters long that'll be--but just remember--there's a reason she's being kept alive (basically it's because Mithos is the one who kills her, and since he's not there with Lloyd and Co then he can't kill her)! And here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Viaroura Fox—**Hmm, yes I wonder what _did/will_ Mitosu do now? Obviously nothing good. And yes, Genis does seem to faint/sleep a lot, but then again I'm assuming anyone who's been under stress/had almost all their mana drained out of them would be. But yeah, when they reach Exire (or right before they go to Exire) he'll be 'awake' for the most part. Now then, I'm glad you liked the chapter, and here's the next one—enjoy!

**Whoever-I-am—**Ah, yeah, I noticed that too when I went back and re-read the chapter—like I always do in case there's anything that absolutely has to be changed. But it's not too major of an error (IMO at least) and cast/summoning is kinda-sorta the same (in a really round-about way). But thanks for pointing it out (I might change it some time in the future) and I'm glad you reviewed the chapter!

**Liebchen-chan-**I'm really glad you liked this chapter—and that you thought the Zelos-saving-Lloyd thing was cute! And yes, Mithos and Genis are adorable—and they always will be! Now then, here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**  
April: **So…in this chapter Genis and Mithos should get out of Derris Kharlan right?

**Me: **-nods head-right! And you'll also figure out where you and Presea went.

**April: **Hmm…I hope so. And I hope we're okay. And Lloyd and the others…

**Me: **Don't worry about them! They'll be fine…

**April: **Fine, whatever you say! Okay then, Harmony283 doesn't own ToS or any of its characters--they all belong to Namco! She does, however, own Feral, the plot, any OC's that happen to show up, and me!

**Authors Note: **Okay that's good. Now like I said, in this chapter Genis and Mithos make their way out of Derris Kharlan--but before they get anywhere, they run into Yuan. Also Presea and April, as you know, got captured by the dark mana chains and disappeared somewhere. Where exactly did they go? And will Lloyd and the others be okay while facing off against Mitosu?

**April: **No really, will we be okay? And will Raine be okay? She's still hurt you know…

**Me: **I'm not allowed to tell…sorry.

---------------------------------------

Mithos' POV

I watched silently as Genis' chest rose and fell with each intake of air. I couldn't describe how…elated I felt that he was okay…that I didn't have to worry about him being caught between unconsciousness and sleep.

I held the sleeping half-elven boy closer to me, nuzzling my face into his hair, emitting a soft content sigh from the back of his throat. This made me smile.

He was only twelve now--not even a teenager yet--but I'm sure that soon he would start growing. That certain things would change about him once he experienced those teen fazes that I had gone through long ago.

I'm sure he would have…problems. But I planned on being there to help.

I chuckled lightly, I'm getting ahead of myself aren't I? After all, the only real way to ensure that Genis even grows up--that he survives this ordeal now--is to make sure that Pronyma is dead and that Mitosu leaves.

It made me nervous that I couldn't kill my dark counterpart, but I had a strange feeling that I would later…

Though when 'later' was, I didn't know.

After all, how can one know these things? I may have lived for four thousand years, but that in no respects made me psychic.

No one could ever find out the future. If they did--and if they already knew what happened in their lives--then they'd either selfishly try to change it, or try to strive towards that goal—in a way, changing their future by their already knowing it.

And even if they didn't do that--it wouldn't be as much fun living life if you always knew what would happen the next day.

I sighed softly, tangling my free hand in his hair once more--it seemed to have a soothing affect on me.

Because another thing hit me.

One can't bring back the dead.

If they could, the changes would be just about as drastic as knowing ones future.

And…and…I wanted Martel back so…what I was doing was _extremely_ dangerous. But it was only one person so…so hopefully it wouldn't be that bad.

But as for how I would bring her back.

Maxwell…I already knew that he was the Summon Spirit of Birth. So going to him about reviving someone seemed natural enough, right?

So I guess I should head for Exire.

But I needed someone…I needed Sheena to make a pact with Maxwell. Though I hadn't technically broken mine, I'm sure the old man wouldn't be happy to see me. And I'd also have to steer clear of him during their fight for the pact.

I guess I could spend that time watching over Genis, but when the fight was over and Maxwell was under a new pact--and the pact maker states that he cannot harm me--then I'll be able to voice my question.

But would he have the answer?

There was no way of knowing that now. But it was worth a try. Not trying would just mean doing nothing.

Then there was also the matter of getting that Mana Crest made. I'm sure…if the others somehow convinced Altessa--no. He was hurt. But if he got better then maybe he could…

And…and Dirk--Lloyds foster father--was a dwarf as well! That might be the easier solution since Lloyd would have an easy time convincing him to do something.

But then again, Dirk might not have the skills.

I shook my head, maneuvering so that I could stand up without falling or waking Genis up.

"That doesn't matter now. But…how will I tell the others to meet me in Exire?"

I could leave a note--which would be a plausible answer. But they might not even see it.

And what's worse, Pronyma or Mitosu could find it and they'd know where we were. They could possibly even try to attack Exire--or at least I knew Mitosu would since he didn't know the towns' population was made up of half-elves.

I sighed softly to myself.

Hopefully…hopefully they would just figure it out--

Huh? Was that--

"Yuan?"

Yuan froze, his swishing cape coming to a halt as well as he turned to face me, "Lord Ygg-Mithos?"

"Yes it's me. What are…what are you doing here?"

Yuan shook his head, "I came to assist Kratos."

"really?"

"Yes. I told him I would come shortly after the problem…at the…" he trailed off, not meeting my gaze.

"There was a problem at the Renegade base? Well with your second hand man gone, it makes sense that you're busier." I said, trying my hardest to smile. It still angered me that Yuan--Martels fiancee and the man who would have been my brother in law--had created the sole group that had gone against me…keeping me from reviving Martel.

"Mithos…" He sounded apologetic.

"It's fine. You can tell me about it later. But in return I need you to tell the others--Lloyd and everyone there--something."

"And that would be?"

"I'm going to Exire."

"Wha--? Exire? Why would you go there? The only thing of importance there is Maxwell and after the whole Origin incident four thousand years ago, he refuses to see you--like any of the other Summon Spirits. You _know_ that."

"Yes I know that Yuan. That's the whole reason why I want you to tell everyone where I'm going."

Yuan gave me a blank stare and then he caught on, "Sheena."

"Correct. She's the one who has been making pacts with the Summon Spirits. They listen to her now. So hopefully…hopefully Maxwell will listen to her and not attack me."

"And why would you want to…talk with him in the first place?"

"He holds information on the…on how to revive the dead. Or at least how to revive ones body back into existence."

"You mean you're--"

"--It wasn't my original idea." I said, cutting him off. Which, like every other time I did that, annoyed him.

"Then whose idea _was_ it?"

I looked down at the sleeping boy in my arms, "His."

"Hmm, really?"

"Yes really. So can you please tell every--"

"Yes I will tell everyone where you went." Yuan stated, cutting me off in a familiar fashion as I had done him.

And then he turned and walked towards the warp ring that led to Venheim, leaving me standing here.

After he disappeared from view I turned back around and started walking. I knew that the next part of Derris Kharlan was filled with monsters, so I should hurry.

---------------------------

Aprils POV

"Oww…" I shakily sat up as my voice echoed around the heavy expanse of the room.

Then I realized it.

I was alone.

Where was Presea?

"P-Presea?" I looked around only to see that I was…in some type of cave. But what would a cave be doing…or was I even in Derris Kharlan?

But if I wasn't in Derris Kharlan then where…?

I stood up slowly, trying to get my eyes adjusted to the little light that filtered in through the ceiling.

After I could see well enough I started to look around, to see if I could see an exit.

"Well there's one on the far side of the room, and then--" I turned around, and gasped.

"Wha--?"

Behind me was a huge glass wall, much like the one in the trap I had escaped from, but…but behind that glass wall…

There were millions and millions of Exspheres and Cruxis Crystals.

"Where…where…?" I fell silent, my eyes growing huge as I just stared in awe. It was almost like an entire crystallized wall.

The only place that I knew of that had this many exspheres was the Toize Valley mine. But I wasn't in Tethe'alla…was I?

No I didn't think I was. It still had this…swell of mana that I felt when I was in Venheim.

So I was still in Venheim/Derris Kharlan?

I didn't know.

But…

I had to stop staring at this wall! I shook my head violently, turning away from the shimmering of the many exspheres, back to the relatively dark and unexciting room I was in.

Though now I couldn't help but notice the various pools of…well, it _looked_ like water but…

"April!"

I jumped as my name echoed off the walls.

I turned around facing—where I assumed—the voice to be. And lo-and-behold.

"Pr-Presea?"

Presea was on the other side of the glass wall, somehow, and she looked scared.

"April can you help me? My…my…" she touched the base of her neck, covering the red Cruxis Crystal that lay there, in its Key Crest.

"How did you get back there? I mean, is there a door?"

She shook her head; "I…don't know…but it hurts…burns…" she looked like she was close to tears.

"But why is it—"

"I do not know…but I think it's because of the…" she trailed off, biting her lip as if that would help her not cry out.

Then an idea hit me, "If I can't find the door—or you can't—then you can use your ax!"

She blinked, "I…yes…I could but…" she glanced off somewhere behind her—to where I assumed her ax was—with a slightly worried look on her face.

"But what?"

"I do not think this wall is…breakable. And even if it was." "I know protection spells. I'll be fine." I reassured the pink haired girl.

"Ah…well if that…fine I will try." She winced in pain as she unclasped her hand from the red jewel at the base of her neck before turning and walking back to where her ax was, picking it up, and walking back over to me.

She lifted the said ax, gave me one last glance—resulting in me readying my staff and chanting a quick spell, which produced a green shield around me—before swing her ax forward.

When the sharpened blade met with the glass a kind of ringing noise emitted from the place of contact—echoing throughout the room, reminding me of the sweet melody my mother used to play on her harp as a wake up call in the morning.

But the fact that I thought of that, or rather thought of the sound as a 'wake up call' unnerved me.

After all, I didn't know what else resided in this…cave. This might not have been the best idea, but it was the quickest.

And I wanted to get out of here quick.

Though at first it didn't seem like the clanging of steel against glass did much but make noise—I soon saw a crack forming.

And that crack grew.

And Presea kept on whacking at the barrier between us.

Soon enough, or what I hoped was soon—there were no means to tell time in this place so it actually might have been a shorter time, or a longer time—the glass fell away, much like the glass dome did in that mysterious trap Raine and I had been trapped in earlier.

"I…this…it worked…but…"

Then I realized that Presea hadn't seen glass disappear like that before.

"Don't worry about how the glass disappeared, let's just worry about getting out of here."

The pink haired girl just nodded her head, her stormy blue eyes wavering in pain as she reached back up to cover her Cruxis Crystal.

She then proceeded to step through where the glass had been towards me.

And once she did that…she promptly fell to her knees, giving out a short 'gasp' as her face twisted in brief pain, before she collapsed in a dead faint.

"Presea!"

----------------------------

Raines POV

I watched as Mitosu walked forward in an eerily casual way—much like Mithos had done the day we found out that he had betrayed us.

I shivered at the thought. Though Mithos was on our side now, the fact that we were fighting against his counter part—his counter part that seemed so much more, well, _evil_, unnerved me.

I had always thought that, when I had found out who the _real_ enemy was that he was the most evil person in the world.

But…but Mitosu…seemed to be much worse than Mithos had been.

I shuddered once more a Mitosu came to a halt mere feet in front of us. His gaze traveled between us, a smirk forming on his lips-revealing slightly pointed teeth.

His eyes then stopped on me, "Hmm, so you're that boy—Genis'—sister?" He seemed almost amused by this.

"Yes, I am." I stated, trying to keep my voice strong even though I felt incredibly weak at the moment.

His smirk only grew, but the look in his eyes—it was only fleeting but I had seen it—showed disgust.

"Do you know—do you have even the _faintest idea_ of how much trouble that boy has caused us?"

I glared at him, "No I haven't. I'm curious as to why you wanted him in the first place," I paused, looking around us, "But right now isn't the time for conversation."

He chuckled, "No I suppose not."

"Yeah, and y'know what?" Lloyd called out from his position behind me. I sighed—though not out loud—knowing that he was going to say something, well, only Lloyd would say.

"You're not gonna even be able to talk when we're done with you!"

I knew it.

Mitosus eyes narrowed, giving him an almost predatory look, "Oh really?" his voice was thick with hidden threats as well as well controlled, but highly dangerous anger. Something that I knew…all to well of…

Because of that man.

I shook my head of these thoughts, knowing that any form of distraction could lead to my death.

After all, we didn't know how strong this…this 'look alike'—this new enemy—was.

"Sure as hell really!" Lloyd practically shouted, raising his blades and, well, he would have charged if both Zelos and Kratos hadn't put their hands on either of his shoulders.

"Lloyd calm down."

"Remember, take a deep breath."

Lloyd only grimaced, but he did seem to calm down.

"Hnn, you know it would be wise to take their advice. But that does not mean you will get away with saying something…like that." Mitosu said, his voice eerily calm, making me turn quickly to him.

I saw his lips moving, but the words he spoke were barely over a whisper. And then, all too soon afterwards, a sword…a sword made of some sort of dark flame--or at least patterned to look like a flame--appeared in his hand.

He then smirked--right after that Lloyd cried out.

"I-I--"

"Lloyd what's wrong?" Zelos asked, looking shocked and worried at the distraught looking on his face.

"Lloyd…?"

"I-I can't move!"

---------------------------------

**Me: **And there ya go! Part 39 is now finished!

**April: **…that was…your readers aren't going to be happy with you for leaving another cliffhanger.

**Me: **Meh, I can't help it--I'm soooo good at it!

**April: **Well yes, I suppose you are but…that means you'll have to work on Part Forty even sooner than you expected--not that that's a bad thing.

**Me: **no it's not a bad thing--and thanks to Alaia Skyhawk for reminding me of that oh so horrible paralyzing technique. I was actually going to use another technique, but this one's more fun to deal with.

**April: **The fact that you think that it's fun…scares me…

**Me: **I scare myself sometimes too. Now then R&R and I'll post up the next chapter! The more reviews the more likely I'll update it! (and yes I'm finished with TU 40--so no waiting!) :D


	40. Sweet Awakening

**Me: **Dun, dun, dun, duuunnn! I'm finally on chapter/part 40! And I got tired of waiting for reviews--so I'll update now! (besides I might not have any more time on the computer this weekend so...)

**Feral: **Congratulations. This is officially twenty chapters longer than you originally thought it'd be--back when you said the end would be around chapter 20. And you really don't have any patience do you?

**Me: **Yes congrats to me -pats self on back- but what do you mean by me having no patience? I've had this written out since, well, since Wednsday! Of course I'd want to upload it by now!

**Feral: **Fine, fine, whatever you say...

**To Understand: Part Forty**

**Sweet Awakening**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**Nady-kun--**Yay! You finally get to review again! And yeah, I kinda figured you'd be following along (or else you wouldn't know what's going on enough to review). And yes, Mitosu has fanged teeth. And now that you pointed it out, yes it would kind of be like a demon vs an angel. As for if he has wings or not…yes he does, but no you never hear about them. And you probably won't till the sequel. Now then, here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**LittleLinor-**Ah-ha-ha, yeah I guess April'll have one other person to be afraid of. And yes, Yuan will fight--but unfortunately he doesn't show up in this chapter like I had originally planned (not that anything ever goes as planned anyway) but I'm sure the G/M fluff will make up for it somewhat. And yes, now that you mention it, Feral _has_ been quiet--though I can't say why she's been that way I can say that I'm surprised no one's found out who she is yet (not that it's easy to find out who she is…but…no one's even guessed). And because of the reviews I here's a new chapter! Enjoy!

**Takokinoko-**Yes another cliffhanger--it's seems that I almost always leave people hanging at the end of my chapter (but that's not necessarily a _bad_ thing if it keeps them-the readers-coming back for more). And yes, Mitosu doesn't seem like an easy person to defeat. And, once they do get a chance to fight with him--since you don't see them fighting him during this chapter--you'll see that yes they are strong enough to wound him greatly, but not kill him. You could say that he's 'non-killable' as he is right now (as for what that means, you'll find out later). And yes, Presea's going to be fine--as you'll see in this chapter. And yes, I'm throwing Yuan in here--he's one of my favorite guy characters besides Genis and Mithos--and he hasn't done much in this fanfic to begin with, so yeah, he's going to show up and help out! Now then, here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Yes Lloyd's paralyzed, and yes that's not good. What'll they do I wonder? Or will you even find out in this chapter? Hmm…well, anyways, here's the newest installment in TU--enjoy!

**Feral: **Well I have to say that I'm glad you got out of the whole 'Meeting the Darkness' thing for the title…

**Me: **Well they've met Pronyma--whose evil (I)--and the fought Pronyma (II) and they've met Mitosu--whose evil (III). See three?

**Feral: **…I don't get it.

**Me: **-shrug- oh well, if you get it you get it. If you don't get it, you don't. But that's why there have been three chapters with 'Meeting the Darkness' as the title. And now the title's changed!

**Feral: **Like I said: that's good and I'm glad. Now then, Harmony283 doesn't own ToS or any of its characters. She does however, own April, any and all OC's appearing in this fanfic, the plot for this fanfic, and me.

**Authors Note: **Good job Feral. Okay then, in the last chapter I left a cliffhanger like ending--yet again. And I'm sure you're all wonder: 1-will Mithos get Genis safely out of Derris Kharlan? 2-will Yuan make it to Lloyd and the others in time? 3-Is Presea okay and will she, along with April, find their way out of that mysterious cave? And finally 4-are Lloyd and the others okay? Well I _can_ say that you'll see lot's of Mithos/Genis action in the beginning (it starts off with them, after all). And then you'll see what happens to April and Presea. And--in the end.

**Feral: **Yes those are good questions but, I've been wondering, what does the 283 at the end of your pen-name mean?

**Me: **…well that's random…but it has to deal with my favorite number and the month I was born in.

**Feral: **Oh…that's been bugging me…for a while now…

**Me: **…okay…? Well I answered your question so it shouldn't bug you anymore. Now on with the chapter! Oh yes, and the very beginning is a flashback--just so you don't get confused :D

------------------------------------------

Genis POV

_'I…I…love you…I love you Genis.' The words of the blond half-elf echoed throughout the room, and, oddly enough, I could hear it despite the waterfall being, well, right next to us._

_I flushed crimson as the full impact of the words--words that you could only say once to a person--hits me._

_He loved me._

_  
Someone really loved…me. _

_Mithos leaned in, planting a soft kiss on my forehead, giving me no time to react; though giving me all the time in the world to ponder over what he meant._

_'L-Love?'_

_Mithos pulled away, looking at me with a confused stare, 'What?'_

_'You really love me?'_

_He nodded his head, 'Yes Genis, I do. I-I…I said I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life didn't I?'_

_Well that was true, he did._

_'Mithos I--yes…you…you did…' I watched as my friends face seemed to grow ten times redder, and happier, at the same time._

_The sadness and loneliness that had been there almost constantly since we found him in the burned ruins of Ozette seemed to lighten._

_But it was still there. _

_So maybe I--maybe it couldn't just go away with a confession but…but…_

_'Mithos?'_

_He smiled, 'Yes?'_

_'I--um…I know that you…l-l-l-love m-me…um…and…you seem…happy? But sad…at the same time.' _

_His eyes widened, 'Wha--?'_

_I shook my head; I couldn't ask him why he was so depressed when he just told me he loved me! _

_'I…no never mind. I think we should, um, head back…I mean, Raine could be back any minute now--it's almost been a week!' _

_Mithos nodded his head, pulling me up with him._

_Then I noticed--I was hurt. _

_'Oww…' _

_'Huh?' _

_'My…leg…it hurts.' _

_He leaned down, touching my left calf lightly, 'Right here?'_

_I nodded my head and he starts massaging the area--making me flush and loose my balance._

_Somehow…somehow this seems so wrong._

'It's only wrong if you say it's wrong.' _The voice inside my head stated, almost seeming to laugh at how awkward the situation was._

_And it _was_ awkward. I mean, Mithos just told me he loved me, in the middle of a mine that somehow collapsed and I had somehow woken up in, and…and…_

_His hands kept moving upwards on my leg, making my face flush even more. His hands weren't outright moving from their position on my lower leg where it'd be noticeable--but they would casually move up an inch._

_But it wasn't like I could stop him._

_For one it-felt good and two, well, he wouldn't do something…well…like _that_, like what _Zelos_ would do…right? I mean, he's only two years older than I am, right?_

'Or is he?'

_I shook my head, and Mithos looked up, stopping his hands. _

_'What's wrong Genis?'_

_I blinked, 'Oh! Ah…n-nothing it's just, um, uh…I guess…I…' I bit my lip, unsure of how to go on. All the while you just stared at me with understanding eyes._

_'Don't worry, Genis, I understand.' _

_He moved closer to me and, in one instant I was in his arms, being carried 'bridal style' out of the room and towards the mine entrance._

…

I slowly opened my eyes, wondering where I was for a moment--or rather, why I didn't feel a bed underneath me.

Then I realized I was on the ground.

With something warm shining down on my head.

"Nn…?" I mumbled, suddenly having the feeling that I was outside.

"Oh? You're awake!" Mithos said, sounding happy, and yet far away.

I cracked my eyes open a bit more and realized I was leaning up against something, something hard, like a rock.

And I was.

I sat up straight, and looked around. It seemed that we were at the base of the Tower of Salvation.

"Uh…"

"I'm glad you're up. Are you…feeling better?" Mithos walked over to me, handing me a canteen filled with water.

"Um, y-yeah I'm fine…but why are we…here?"

"Huh? Oh, because it's not easy flying while a person's asleep." He sounded nervous though.

When Mithos backed up, giving me a better view of him, I noticed that he was limping lightly.

Then it hit me.

"You're hurt!"

He blinked, dropping--what I assumed to be--my bag.

"What?"

"You're hurt! How did you get hurt?"

"Who said I was--"

"You're limping!"

He blinked and shook his head, "So? I said that my foot was sensitive when I my Cruxis Crystal was taken away…so…"

"…It couldn't hurt _that_ much…could it?"

He paused, as if thinking over something before going back to rummaging through my bag.

"_Mithos_!"

"Hush! I'm trying to find that pendant! I put it back in here for safe keeping while I was fighting those monsters!" he snapped, never lifting his gaze off the bag in front of him.

"M-Mithos…"

I felt like I was on the verge of tears. I guess it…hurt…to have Mithos talk to me like that.

He _never_ talked to me like that.

And he noticed.

He looked up and--seeing my obviously pained expression--stopped his searching, getting up and limping over to where I was.

"No…Genis…no…don't cry…I--I'm sorry…" he murmured, cupping the side of my face with one of his hands.

And I--in turn--nuzzled into it, trying my best to will away the tears that were burning the edges of my eyes.

I felt him move closer, falling to his knees so that he was closer to my height. He then placed his lips against my forehead, placing a chaste kiss there before moving to the nape of my neck. Which I now noticed was fully exposed.

Yeesh, this tunic must be in ruins right now--forget the fact that this was Lloyds shirt to begin with, thus being way too big for me--all torn up from my wings and…and the attacks…

I felt his tongue dart out quickly, licking that exposed skin--which would have made me blush if I hadn't been…so…so 'emotionally unstable' as Raine would have put it.

"M-Mithos?" I whispered, unconsciously tilting my head to the side, giving him more room to do whatever it is he wanted to do.

He seemed to smile--his lips were now pressed against my skin so I could feel his lips move--before quickly whispering something in my ear:

"I'm sorry…let me make up for it…"

He then pressed a soft kiss on the side of my neck--which surprisingly made me gasp.

I hadn't known my skin was so sensitive there!

And this…weird feeling…in my stomach…

Mithos just ever so casually, started kissing that area, his kisses only feather light, which seemed to just make the weird feeling grow.

"M-M-Mithos…? Wha--?"

"Shh, it's okay…I can make it up to you can't I? I can say that I'm sorry for getting angry with you, can't I?"

I could barely nod my head, but that seemed to be enough for him.

All the while the feeling in my stomach grew even more.

--------------------------------

Aprils POV

I sit here, over the limp form of Presea in my arms, wondering what in the name of Martel I should do.

After all, I didn't know the first _thing_ about Exspheres--or Cruxis Crystals--for that matter! All I knew was that they were bad, and that they were what caused the death of, well, my father.

And the state my mother was in at the moment.

I shivered slightly, maneuvering so that I could pick up the shorter girl. Despite her being unconscious, I still had to find a way out of here.

The fact that this place didn't feel, well, _real_ didn't help me much either.

Where had Pronyma taken/thrown us?

Speaking of Pronyma…did Lloyd defeat her yet?

Was Raine okay?

And was Pronyma still alive?

I shuddered again, though this time more out of fear than the strangeness of my surroundings.

I heard Presea groan lightly, shifting in her unconsciousness closer to me; her face tinged with the redness so commonly seen in those who are plagued by fever.

Well if she had a fever, then at least I could help cool that down.

I closed my eyes, murmuring a few elven words I had learned long ago, before calling out; "Nursing Wave!" (A/N: This automatically heals any fever/sickness marking on a certain persons' body)

And as soon as I said that, a soft pale green--with a hint of yellow--light rained down upon her form, the redness in her cheeks dying down, revealing her normally pale complexion once more.

I sighed in relief, "Well at least now I don't have to worry about her having a fever anymore."

I then staggered to my feet, glancing only once at the crystallized wall of Exsphere, before turning to face in front of me, walking towards the opening on the far side of the room.

But once I reached this room…where would I go?

I had a feeling that going back to Raine and the others wouldn't be such a good idea--or at least it wouldn't _right now_.

But I could at least figure out where I was.

Because now I was pretty sure that I was still in Derris Kharlan.

After all, the chains took me and Presea up not down or sideways or…or…through a time dimension.

The latter, of course, was just…not possible. Yes Mithos--Yggdrasill--split the two worlds, but he couldn't travel between dimensions on a whim…could he?

I sincerely hoped not.

And I also hoped that they had gotten off of Derris Kharlan okay. I didn't know the full extent of why Pronyma wanted Raines brother…but I knew it wasn't good.

And that Mithos needed to get Genis out of here.

Then I had to wonder--is Genis okay? He was asleep when we last saw him…did he wake up?

Did he know where he was?

And…and was Mithos all right as well?

Where would he take Genis when they escaped?

I had so many questions that wouldn't be answered until I had visible proof.

But first things first.

I had to find a way out of here…and quick.

It seemed almost, well, surreal that I was in such a place like this. Almost like an illusion and yet not at the same time.

I quickened my pace, my shoes clicking off the stone floor and echoing around the room as I walked hurriedly to the other side.

It was slightly darker, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid.

But…but…I had to get out of here, and Presea made it seem like there wasn't an exit on the other side of that glass wall.

Ironically enough, when I reached the opening on the other side of the room…

I wound up in a small passageway.

"What…?"

It was darkly lit, but the flooring was made out of the same tiling as I had seen in Venheim.

So I _was_ still on Derris Kharlan!

But was that really such a good thing.

I shook my head, shifting Presea's weight once more as I headed down the even darker passage.

It gave me the feeling of being in a basement.

…I never liked basements.

I shook my head once more.

I shouldn't be thinking about basements at a time like this! I mean, yes this place is kind of dark and it's really narrow now…

And yes the smell does slightly resemble the basement under the inn in Heimdall--where all the supplies and things are kept--since it's slightly musty.

But then again, any place that hasn't been exposed to air regularly is like that.

I sighed again, causing Presea to groan, before moving onward.

Now the passageway didn't echo, but the sound my boots made in to tile weren't too reassuring either.

It all sounded so…so…surreal.

So fake.

So like an image--a hologram--that's there one minute but then, just like that, can be swept away…deleted.

Never to be seen again.

I shuddered at the thought.

Human lives were like that too. Even we, as elves--the supposed superior race--could be deleted.

Though not as easily as humans or the half-elven kind.

I shook my head again.

Where were all these thoughts coming from?

Or did I really want to know that?

No, I didn't think I did. But the fact that they were there, swarming around in my mind, still disturbed me.

I sighed once more, "How long is this tunnel anyway--huh?"

Almost as if on cue, a small light--emitted from a crack in the ceiling--filtered down in the relatively dark passage.

That must be the exit!

But why is it in the ceiling?

Don't tell me…we're underground?

No…of course we were! It was a cave after all!

But not all caves are underground!

Well, at least I see a source of light.

But where does it lead?

I looked down at the sleeping pink haired girl in my arms. I guess I should set her down so I can check. It'd be near impossible to get us both of us up at the same time anyway.

I quickened my pace, ignoring the various sounds or feelings of unreal-ness I kept having, focusing on the exit tile in the ceiling.

Once I reached it, it was relatively at the end of the tunnel, I placed Presea carefully against the closest wall before murmuring a levitation spell my aunt had taught me when I had first come under her roof.

With the tile moved out of the way jumped up, barely able to grab the edge of the opening, and dragged myself part of the way up.

Only to find that…I was in an apparently abandoned building.

Well, at least it was safe.

I turned back around, jumping back into the tunnel. I hated to do this but I needed Presea's help--or at least I needed her to pull herself up out of the tunnel.

I checked her pulse and seemed as though she was breathing so that meant she was most likely sleeping at the moment.

I cautiously shook her, hoping that her fast reflexes were slowed by her sleepiness--I really didn't want to heal myself at a time like this.

Though it surprised me when she mumbled something in her sleep--groggily sitting up shortly afterwards.

She looked startled, but once I explained things to her--about her passing out and how I had found a way out--she seemed to understand what I needed her to do.

And she performed that task--with a little help from me since she was so short--though she still seemed weak.

I then pulled myself up, turning to her with a smile, "Well at least we're out of there…"

"Yes but where are we now?"

I looked around me.

Good question…where _were_ we? And where were the others?

------------------------------

**Me: **Yes I know--a short chapter. What can I say? I was tired when I wrote this (it's close to 1 AM here) and after I got this done I had to finish my homework and go to B-E-D

**Feral: **But you didn't even finish your homework...

**Genis: **By the way…um…what's with the make out scene in the beginning? I mean, um, don't you usually put that kind of stuff in the end?

**Me: **well I wanted people to get captivated by the chapter right away, so yeah, that scene's in the beginning.

**Feral: **Yes; that's exactly what you wanted to do. Now I see that big textbook over there--and the math problems you didn't even _attempt_ to do yet--so get started.

**Genis: **Math? I like math!

**Mithos: **But…but you're busy right now! And you need to get to bed too! -drags Genis away-

**Me: **…I suppose I do need to get started on that Math homework soon but it IS the weekend so I can start on it at any time now. So yeah, R&R and I'll get the next chapter up sometime soon (hopefully)!


	41. Battling the Knight of Darkness

**Me:** well here I am with Part 41!

**April: **Yes it looks that way! I'm glad that Presea and I were able to get out of that…place, though!

**Me: **Yeah, I was actually not planning on doing it like that, but yeah, you're out--and that's a good thing!

**April: **Yup it is!

**To Understand: Part Forty-one**

**Battling the Knight of Darkness**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**DraNKa-**Eh-heh-heh I suppose if I write stuff like I did for the last chapter then yes, I guess you would say that. But yeah, school's still important (I've gotta bring up my biology grade to an 'A'--it's at a low B right now and my dad got mad at me about it so…). Now then, here's the next chapter--enjoy:D

**LittleLinor-**Hmm, now that you mention it, no I don't think I have put Genis or Mithos in the end credits (and I'm not about to go look through those 40 chapters to see if I put Raine in the end). And yes, Mithos is going a bit far--but let's just pass it off as Genis is mature and can handle that sort of thing (I seriously want to know where my mind was the night I wrote this). Also, yes Mithos did confess his love to Genis while he was staying at Altessas, but the catch is that Genis stayed behind w/Mithos when everyone went to make a pact with Luna (like I said, it was a flashback meaning yes it happened). I have some of it written out--and I'm planning on it being the prequel to this, but I'm not sure when it'll get finished. And you can always e-mail me on who/what you think Feral is! I've wanted people to guess about/ask about her for a long time…and no one has so…yeah (though it'd be easier if you PM me, you can't unless you're logged in)! I don't mind any guesses. After all no one knows who she is so it's cool. And you don't have to be impatient any longer--here's the next chapter! Enjoy:D

**Takokinoko-**Yup, a super fast update with lots of fluff it was! And yes, Mithos got hurt--he had to fight off a bunch of monsters (the monsters in that weird room with the floating rocks), and no, no one stole the pendant (Zelos has the pendant that I think you're talking about), or anything for that matter. I think you might've gotten confused on that. And as for the whole Presea April scene, no Yuan doesn't find them—they find him (you'll hear an explanation after they're done fighting Mitosu—maybe in the next chapter). And I don't think anyone noticed, but the building that they come out in is actually that building that has that devils arm chest thingy in it (and nothing else in any of the other rooms). So yeah, they'll be fine for the most part. Now then, here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Liebenchen-chan-**Eh-heh-heh I'm glad you liked the beginning scene! And yes, sometimes a little fluffy scene here and there is just what us fangirls need! Also, yes, April and Presea are going to be okay. And muffins? What kind of muffins? Eh, it don't matter, they're still good either way! Now then, here's the next chapter, enjoy!

**Viaroura Fox-**Ah yeah, poor Mithos. He'll be fine though (and you'll figure out how he got hurt in this chapter). Now for where April and Presea end up--remember that place in Welgaia that had the devils arm chest and then every other floor had nothing on it? Well that's where they ended up! Now here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Hiranieas-**Eh-heh-heh, don't worry about if you missed the last chapter, I did update a bit fast for these past few chapters. But I'm glad you like the fluffy scene—it was well deserved after all—and here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Well you don't need to wait any longer to find out what happens to Lloyd because you'll find out by the end of this chapter! Now then, enjoy this new chapter of TU!

**April:** Hmm, so everyone's going to go up against Mitosu now?

**Me: **Yup! Or at least it looks that way.

**April: **…I hope they'll be okay. I mean, yes Raine, Kratos, and Zelos can heal but…but they aren't as good as I am.

**Me: **That's true, but Yuan's coming along--and he's been around for four thousand years--and he's a pretty good healer to boot.

**April: **Ah, okay…I guess. Um, Harmony283 doesn't own ToS or any of it's characters--Namco does.

**Authors Note: **That was good. Okay then, in the last chapter, as you all know, there was a cute lil' fluffy scene in the beginning--that I'm sure most of you want to see more of--and April and Presea made their way out of that weird cave place they were in. But what happened to Lloyd and the others? Are they really okay? And will Yuan arrive in time to help out?

**April: **…No really, I hope Raine and the others are okay...

**Me: **Don't worry, remember I said that the only one who would die would be Pronyma, so they won't die.

**April: **That's good an' all, but that means Mitosu won't die either.

**Me: **...Well that's true...he won't die _then_ but he will eventually die.

**April: **Yes, but they'll have to wait until the sequel to see/read about that...

**Me: **...And yet again, that's true. Now then, let's get on with the chapter!

**-----------------------------**

Mithos' POV

I felt Genis tremble lightly as I placed yet another kiss on the side of his neck, shifting a little more, eyes closed, facial expression content.

Well he certainly was enjoying this. Though I did feel a pang of, well, guilt. Like I had done something wrong. Yes he was enjoying this--so that meant I wasn't forcing him to do anything, but…he's only twelve years old.

He's not even a teenager yet and I--

No…I can't think about that right now--But I couldn't just force these feelings of guilt to go away.

But there was nothing to be guilty of. Sure if Raine found out she'd be mad, but she'd have to learn to accept it. Genis was, after all, her only family.

I moved so that I could nibble gently at his ears--wondering if I could find yet another sensitive area on the young boy.

And I did. As my tongue trailed an outline along the rim of his ear, he let out a soft moan.

Shortly after, though, he shifted his weight, now leaning fully back on the rock I had leaned him up against.

Cloudy indigo eyes met mine, confusion and happiness displayed clearly in them and I knew then that he wanted answers…

"Mithos…?"

"Yes?"

"How did you get hurt?"

I shook my head; "Does it really matter?"

He looked sad, his eyes looking down towards the ground.

"I guess…to you it…probably doesn't but," he looked back up at me, "It matters to _me_. Because…because…" He reached out shyly with one of his hands, touching my face with his fingertips.

"Because? I told you that you didn't need to worry. And I don't want you to worry."

He smiled at me, "But it's like you said 'I don't mind caring about someone I love'."

I blinked…that's right I did say that. It seemed like so long ago when, in reality, it was only about a week ago.

"Genis…"

"And I _want_ to worry, because I-I love you Mithos." Tears welled up in his eyes, making me suddenly feel bad.

This was all so new to me--this sensation that another could control the way I felt just by…just by the way they acted, felt, or by sheer will.

It was a scary feeling, one I wasn't used to. But then again, pain was something I had lost a feeling--and knowledge--of long ago.

"I…Genis…I love you too." The boy wiped at his tears, looking up at me while doing so.

"You…I know that so please…did a monster do that? Did you fight all by yourself?"

"Well naturally yes, I fought by myself. You could say that I was being careless in a retreat from battle and a monster attacked me from behind." I paused; looking down at one of the purple bracelets I wore, it was slightly cracked.

"You…it jumped at you…?"

"Yes, it tried to get at you, since you weren't awake and looked like easier prey and I…"

"You?"

"Well I couldn't let it get to you so I jumped…in the…way." Now that I was saying it outloud, it sounded so, well, not thought out. I mean, I was Mithos Yggdrasill, one of the most powerful beings alive and there I was, flinging myself in front of a monster when I could have just as easily disintegrated it with one of my many spells.

But Genis didn't seem to think that. In fact, he just stared at me, eyes widening and filling with tears once more.

"M-Mithos…"

"Ah--Genis don't cry! It's not that bad…please…I don't like it when you cry."

But that didn't stop him.

Though the fact that he was crying now suddenly seemed endearing--something I wanted to keep close whereas moments before I had thought your reasons behind it were, well, embarrassing.

"Genis…"

He hiccuped but continued to sob.

I then pressed my lips against his, pushing him even closer to the rocks hard, slightly rough, surface.

This action made him tense--and I couldn't blame him. With all that's happening now…anyone'd want to be treated gently, wouldn't they?

I loosened my grip on him and he relaxed, slumping down a bit--trying to kiss back all the same though.

I broke the kiss shortly after, pulling away to look at him. His crying had ceased, but his eyes were still slightly puffy.

"Are you…okay now?" I whispered, pulling him into a hug, which he quickly complied with, falling limp, nuzzling his face into my chest.

He barely nodded his head but it was enough.

"That's good."

-------------------------

Genis POV

I don't know what came over me earlier, but, but being in Mithos' arms like this…it just felt _right_ like this was how it was supposed to be. He always made me feel so safe, and, well, happy.

Then again, I'm sure that's how a person who you love is supposed to make you feel. Or at least that's how they described the one they loved in all the romance novels I had read.

But they had gone much deeper than just the kissing that we did.

I felt my face flush as I thought of those things that no one my age should be thinking of.

Also if Raine ever found out I had read those books then…then…she'd be so mad.

Though I really don't think now's the time to think about that.

I snuggled even closer to Mithos, who in turn pulled me up so that I was sitting on his lap.

"Genis…"

I looked up at him, "Y-yes?"

He cupped the side of my face once more, using his free hand to pull me closer, fingering the back of my torn shirt.

He placed a soft kiss on my forehead, murmuring something between 'I'm so glad' and 'I love you'.

Though how that was possible, I didn't know.

He then pulled away, smiling at me, "You know, we should…be going now."

I blinked, confused, "Where are we going…?"

"Exire."

"…Exire? Why? Aren't we going to wait for the others?"

He glanced back at the ruined Tower of Salvation, and shook his head, "No. I…ran into Yuan while you were sleeping, and he agreed to tell them where we were going. It's…very important that we get you somewhere safe. Somewhere were no one knows what's going on."

I nod my head, "Well…that makes sense. Exire is, after all, the floating haven for Half-elves right?"

"Yes that's right."

"That's good."

"Yes, it is. And the other reason we're there is because of Maxwell."

Now that name sounded familiar, "Max…well? You mean the, um--what was it…the Summon Spirit of…Life?"

"Birth"

"Ah--yeah, Birth." I laughed nervously, feeling my face heat up with embarrassment.

Then I remembered, if Maxwell's the Summon Spirit of Birth--then don't we need Sheena?

"Don't we need Sheena though? I mean, if we wanna make a pact with it--unless he, um, doesn't…hate you?"

Mithos laughed, running his fingers through my hair, "I suppose you could say he hates me. Yuan even suggested against me going there until Sheena's made the pact."

"So what will we do…once we're there?"

He leaned in close, touching his nose to mine, "What do you think? We need some time alone now don't we?"

I flushed crimson, "Um…uh…"

"Unless you really want to wait then we--"

I shook my head, "N-no…no. It's fine, we can go. I mean, you said Yuan's going to tell them where we're going/are so it's not like they _won't_ know."

Mithos smiled once again, then he shifted, moving his hand to where his pocket was--which was dangerously close to my thigh.

I flushed as he reached into his pocket--rubbing the fabric against my leg as he did so--pulling out something round and smooth.

It was his Cruxis Crystal.

So he did have it!

He then tried to…undo…the front of his shirt, which seemed to be hard with me sitting on his lap.

"Here, let me." I quickly undid the small clasp in the front, then undoing the smaller buttons so that his chest was bare.

That's when I noticed the Key Crest placed in the center of his chest.

"That's…"

"Where my Cruxis Crystal goes, yes. Can you put it on for me?"

I nodded my head, carefully taking the red jewel and placing it in the center, where the Key Crest had been grooved out for it to fit.

"There. Okay, it's--"

I gasped as he pulled me close to him, I could feel the Cruxis Crystals pulse--which was odd but not entirely unexpected. It was, afterall, a human soul.

"M-Mithos…?"

"Shh…I just want to hold you. I…remember that my Cruxis Crystal disallows me to feel. And I won't be able to feel the warmth I do when you…when I hold you."

That's right. He wouldn't be able to feel.

That was…really painful to hear.

-----------------------------------------

Lloyds POV

I watched helplessly as Mitosu walked forward, flame sword in hand. Zelos moved in front of me, and Kratos did as well.

"What did you do to Lloyd?" he demanded glaring at him with, what I assumed, was a hateful glare.

"I just paralyzed him." His tone was cocky and very much like the tone Mithos used when we had first found out his real identity.

And yet he seemed more…more _evil_ than Mithos.

Dammit! I wish I could move but--

"You…paralyzed him?" Raine asked, seeming a bit taken back by this. Mitosu immediately turned his attention to her, scowling.

"Yes I did. And no there isn't any technique that can cancel it. Unless you can destroy--" he shook his head, "Nevermind."

Raine's eyes narrowed. Out of everyone here, I'm sure she was the one who held the most hate for this…boy-man person.

Strange, he looked about the same age as Mithos--though he was a bit taller--but then again he seemed older--more around my age.

Creepy.

"Now then," he turned back to face me, "Since you can't move…I guess you make the easiest target."

"Oh hell no!" Zelos growled, drawing his sword from its hilt and using it, along with Kratos' sword, to block me.

Mitosu only smirked, "Do you really think those flimsy things you call swords will actually hurt me?"

"Who knows? But it's worth a shot!"

And that's when Zelos lunged at him.

And Mitosu just side stepped him.

"Wha--hey!"

"Your moves are so predictable that a _child_ could dodge them."

Ouch.

"I have to say that your sword skills still need practicing,"

"Kratos! I thought you were on our side!"

"But I have never seen a _child_ dodge such an attack--disregarding Mithos of course."

Mitosu smirked, "Well, you certainly do take these things seriously," he raised the hand that wasn't holding his sword, and formed a black magic sphere, "Not that it'll help you in the long run." His face soured considerably as he finished his sentence, as if he was remembering something less-than perfect that happened to him for being overly serious about something or another.

It then made me wonder who this guy was, or rather where he came from.

Mithos already said he didn't come from Tethe'alla or Sylvarant.

So was there another world we never heard of out there?

And why didn't we wind up there instead of--

"Now then, let's get started shall we--" he was about to run forward, but a ball of electrical energy hit him right in the chest, causing him to stagger back.

"Who--?" everyone turned to face the direction of the said attack--excluding me since I couldn't move--wondering who it was.

And, standing there in front of the portal that led to Derris Kharlan, was Yuan, and behind him was April and Presea.

"Hmm, it looks like things were much worse than I originally thought." Yuan replied coolly, walking forward, left hand extended for only a short time before that…massive sword thing…appeared--his cape disappearing as he did so.

Wait, did that mean that his sword was actually his cape?

Or was it somehow hidden in his cape?

Either way, it was still weird.

Now he too was standing in front of me.

Though he seemed more confident about his abilities, and--I don't know if it was just me being overly observant or what, but--Kratos seemed more relaxed.

But that was good. I guess they've been through many a battle together.

No, of course they have--they've known each other for over four thousand years! Yeah, sure they probably didn't get a long the entire time--Yuan _did_ try to kill him back in Hima after all--but four thousand years was a crazy long time to be friends with someone.

Heck, Kratos probably trusts Yuan more than he trusted my mom back when she was alive.

Then again, I'm not sure my mom even knew he was in Cruxis. And if she did, then she probably didn't know how important he was.

That'd make sense…

The clang of metal against metal snapped me back into reality, and I turned my gaze back to the fighting.

It was so weird; I was used to being _in_ the battle. Not watching it like a hopeless bystander.

I noticed that both Raine and Presea were also sitting out, and that April was keeping her distance from the dark Mithos as she cast her healing spells.

I guess now that was all we could do.

My eyes widened when I saw Mitosu draw his sword and try to stab Yuan—obviously still angry for the earlier interruption—only to have one of the beams from Kratos' Judgment attack separate the two.

And then, shortly after that, Mitosu jumped back so that he was now on the railing on the walkway overhead.

He then smirked down at us, seeming almost like a vulture would gaze down at his prey.

"You know, I hate to say this—but you're wasting my time." He then lifted one hand, palm facing up, creating yet another mass of dark magic.

"Consider this my goodbye present to you."

And then he threw it towards us.

Or rather…towards me.

---------------------------

**Me: **And there ya go! The end of Chapter/Part 41!

**April: **Yes…that seems to be the case, but…how did we meet up with Yuan?

**Me: **Oh you basically just hurried through Welgaia (I seriously don't remember the name, but I _think_ that this is right...), saw him before he got to the teleport pad that led to Venheim, and yelled at him to stop.

**April: **…Oh…

**Me: **Eh-heh-heh not too much of a creative way, but it works. Now then, R&R please! I love reviews and they, as you must know by now, make me happy/want to review faster!


	42. Awakening of Another Darkness

**Me: **And here's yet another Chapter of TU!

**Feral: **…It seems that way…

**Me: **…You seem Gloomy today.

**Feral: **-shrugs- I just am.

**To Understand: Part Forty-two**

**Awakening of Another Darkness**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**LittleLinor--**Yup you're the first reviewer for TU 41! Eh-heh-heh I'm glad you liked the fluff scene and I agree Genis can be very mature and then very childish at the same time. And yes Mithos does enjoy each side of Genis (the smart because it makes him feel better about the age difference, and the childish because it's too darn cute! XD). And yes, you will see Yuan fighting. Though from the looks of things, that'll start at the end of this chapter. Now then, here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Takokinoko--**Yup, fluff and fast updates are always good! And yes, they both feel guilty in their own respects…or views over what's happening (I noticed it when I went back and re-read the chapter…funny how I didn't notice when I was writing it - -; ). And yes, Presea and April ran into Yuan, and yes Yuan will fight against Mitosu. As for Lloyd…you'll just have to wait and see…Now here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Yes…how is Lloyd going to get out of his predicament? Well you'll just have to read and find out--here's the next chapter and as always enjoy:D

**Hiranieas-**Yup I updated. And no Lloyd won't die--always remember--Pronyma is the only one who will die--and yes Genis and Mithos'll have some time to themselves--which of course equals more fluff! Now here's the next chapter--enjoy:D

**DraNKa-**Eh-heh-heh I'm glad you liked the fluff scene, I'm getting better at writing fluff now (mostly because I just finished watching the shonen-ai anime called 'Loveless' which is awesome and makes me look at ear piercing in a totally different way XD-giggle-). Now then, I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and here's the next one--enjoy!

**Nady-Kun--**I'm glad I made your day with the whole G/M fluff scenes and such (and also thanks again for drawing that pic of Mitosu! -hugs-) Now then, here's the next chapter of TU--enjoy!

**Viaroura Fox--**Eh, don't worry about Lloyd too much, I can already tell you that he's not gonna die--so yeah, hopefully that'll put you at ease (a little bit). But yeah, here's the next chapter, enjoy! 

Feral: …What's with the title? Is there another evil person showing up soon?

**Me: **oh hush, you'll figure it out by the end of the chapter.

**Feral: **…Hmm, well, fine then, don't tell me. I'll just do the disclaimer; Harmony283 doesn't own ToS or any of its characters. She does, however, own any and all OC's showing up in this fanfic, including April, myself, and of course she owns the plot.

**Authors Note:** Hmm good job Feral. Now then, as you all know Mithos wants to go to Exire now, and so, naturally, they will--or at least in this chapter they'll be flying to Exire. Also you figure out what happens to Lloyd--and why is Mitosu suddenly acting differently? What does it have to do with Mitosu?

**Feral: **Now I'm wondering why this can't have three genres—Romance/Angst/Action

**Me: **Because it just doesn't—they don't have that option.

**Feral: **I was just saying…

----------------------------------

Mithos' POV

I smiled as Genis wrapped his arms around my waist, head pressed against my upper chest, right above my Cruxis Crystal. I hated to do this, but I knew it had to be done. I had to have my wings in order to get Genis to Exire.

And that involved the Cruxis Crystal.

Now I didn't _hate_ wearing it, it proved useful sometimes, and it had a significant meaning to me in general, so it wasn't like I was ever going to throw it away. But it pained me that I wouldn't be able to feel Genis' warm, petite body against mine when we hugged.

Or when he was scared.

Or even cold.

This thought made me feel sick. I wouldn't be able to know…I wouldn't…be able to understand.

I squeezed him closer, causing him to gasp out, "Mithos--wha?" He lifted his head, looking at me with concern in his eyes.

I just shook my head, "I…I'm fine. Just let me hold you…feel you…"

he blushed at those words, falling limp in my arms shortly afterwards.

"O-Okay…"

I smiled, nuzzling my face into his hair once more, sighing softly.

A few more minutes of peaceful comforted silence passed between us before I knew I had to leave.

I stood up, pulling Genis up with me.

"Wha--Mithos…?" he looked startled, and confused at the same time.

"We have to leave now."

He merely nodded his head, moving closer to me, but hesitating, "How do I--?"

I smiled, "Like this." And then I picked him up, causing him to gasp in surprise at how quickly I had moved. I grinned as he lay there, in my arms, eyes wide in shock.

"Eh, um…uh…"

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. I promise not to drop you."

He nodded his head and I smiled. I then closed my eyes in concentration. And soon a pair of rainbow colored wings sprouted from my back. Shortly after this, I quickly moved to where his bag, was, and chanted a spell, which caused it to come a drape itself over my shoulder.

After that was done I lifted into the air, my wings beating only once--for balance--before I headed off in the direction--I hoped--was Exire.

Now I was wondering if keeping Exire constantly moving was a good idea.

But then again, it would be even worse if it just stayed in one place. Even if it was in the sky, people--most likely humans--would have come and destroyed what was left of the half-elven sanctuary.

Suddenly I felt Genis tugging at the front of my shirt, which made me look down at him, "What is it Genis?"

"Won't…won't people see us if we--"

"Don't worry, I won't fly over cities or towns. Besides, how often do people look up anyway?"

his face soured, "Well the sky just kinda disappeared, and Derris Kharlan took its place--no one would be looking at that now would they?"

I could hear the sarcasm in his voice--as well as the truth behind it. Yes people would be more inclined to look up now--during this once in a lifetime--or hopefully in the worlds life time--event occurred.

But it couldn't be helped. The sky was just an illusion to begin with. And illusions disappear overtime, or due to certain events taking place. And due to the fact that I had to break my pact with the Eternal Sword, the sky disappeared.

Some times it surprised me at how something so little could affect so much. The breaking of the pact not only destroyed the Tower of Salvation--and left the towns in its wake in ruins--it caused the sky to disappear and Derris Kharlan to take its place.

Not to mention the huge blow it had on the two worlds. After all the Tower of Salvation was the symbolism of a peaceful, thriving world to them. And to have that suddenly destroyed.

"Mithos?"

The younger half-elven boys voice snapped me away from my thoughts--making me realize that I had not answered him.

"You're right Genis."

He gave me a quizzical look, but didn't question it. He just turned to look past the scenery, flinching as a gust of wind rushed by us.

"I think it would be best if you closed your eyes."

He looked up at me, confused, "What? Why?"

"Just in case. I think I might know where Exire is, but we have to fly over Flanoir to get to it…and I don't think you'd appreciate having cold snow blown in your eyes." I grinned and he blushed, looking down sheepishly.

He then slowly nodded his head, closing his eyes swiftly, shifting closer to me, going limp in my arms.

I smiled, he still must have been tired from the ordeals he had just been through. After all, he nearly died on more than one occasion.

And that in and of itself could leave people traumatized and bedridden for months--or even years.

Though none of the above happened to Genis. He just seemed to take things with stride. I just hoped that, after this was over, he didn't just suddenly break down.

…Like I did.

I flinched as painful memories resurfaced. I had acted like I was fine…like Martel's death hadn't affected me as much as it had…

But that ended all too soon.

I…I…

I shook my head, trying to keep those thoughts at bay, and sighed. Thinking about those things wouldn't be good. I couldn't afford to get depressed at time like this. But I needed to think of _something_.

Then it came to me.

Mitosu.

Who was he? It unnerved me that we looked so alike, and yet so different at the same time. He…he said that he needed this world--the two worlds--to be at peace in order to achieve what he wanted in his world.

Which led me to wonder why he was fighting against us in the first place.

Yes I knew he needed Genis--that he was the 'key'. But the key to what…and did Feral have anything to with it?

A bitter laugh escaped from my lips--of course she had something to do with this. She was the one who had taken over Genis when we were in Heimdall.

And then…and then Pronyma had said something about a person waking up in the key…

Did that mean…

Did that mean that they were after Feral?

But was the Feral that I met and the one that took over Genis the same person? Feral had said that it was her and yet it wasn't her.

So was that woman her alter ego? Was she like Mitosu was to me? Or was it something different?

She also said something about not being in Genis' head. About being trapped--or Pronyma trapping her.

But with what?

I tried to recall if Pronyma had had anything with her the day she 'kidnapped' Genis.

And all I could come up with was that mirror piece Genis had found when he nearly drowned.

So did that mean Feral was stuck inside that piece of mirror?

But why?

What was so important about it?

I looked down at Genis, who had shifted closer to me as he slept. He murmured something about me in his sleep, sounding content and happy.

I smiled, then flinched as the wind picked up. We were flying over the small snowy continent now and even though I couldn't feel the cold, I knew Genis could so I pulled him closer, shifting his bag--which was around my neck--so that it wouldn't choke me if I sped up.

Now I wished I had a blanket to cover the boy in my arms up. He was now shivering, though it was hardly noticeable.

"Don't worry, we'll be out of the cold soon." I whispered softly, beating my wings once more to gain momentum.

--------------------------------

Lloyds POV

"AHH!" I instinctively screamed out, expecting the attack to hit me directly.

But it didn't…or at least it didn't hurt.

I opened my eyes--which seemed to be about the only thing that could move--to see a black wall in front of me.

No…it wasn't a wall; it was more like a…a barrier of some sort--but I could see through it.

"What?"

"Lloyd! Are you okay…?" a voice--that distinctly sounded like Zelos'--asked, coming up to touch the barrier.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you." That was Mitosu. And he sounded distinctly--and sickeningly--happy.

I shuddered.

The realized it--I could move! Or…no…my legs and arms couldn't move…but I could breath easier, and my fingers could move just a bit.

Did that mean that his weird immobilizing spell was wearing off.

"What…what did you do to me?" I called out, though my voice sounded muffled, as if a cloth was stuck in my mouth.

"I didn't do anything. That's just a barrier…" Mitosu then smirked, or at least I assumed that he smirked, "…I'm sure you wouldn't like to see your friends die--ack"

"Who said we were going to die?" That was Kratos.

"Yes, I've lived this long, and if what I heard from Mithos is true--I would love to stay around to see Martel…"

there was a pause--so he had run into Mithos and Genis? Were they okay? Did they get out? Did Genis wake up?

"You…heard from…Mithos?"

"I ran into them, actually." Came Yuans terse reply, I heard a swishing noise, which was--I assumed--the sound of him raising his huge sword.

Dammit! I really felt useless now. I couldn't even _see_ my friends. Or, at least I couldn't see them clearly. It was like I was looking at their shadows--or something.

Not to mention that 'dark' feeling I had earlier--the dark feeling Mithos spoke of, and the same feeling I got when I had found that weird pendant thing--came back in full swing. It seemed to be floating around the air, almost like a sent.

A sent that I'm sure would be horrible if it actually did take the form of a sent.

That very thought made me sick.

But I couldn't do anything about it. I could just stand here and hope that my friends--and family in Kratos' case--were going to be okay.

"--good."

I snapped away from my thoughts at the sound of Raine and Aprils combined answer to what Yuan had told them radiated into the barrier that surrounded me.

Or at least the ending to their response.

"Hmph, enough with the chit-chat," I heard the sound of another attack being readied by Mitosu, and squeezed my eyes shut.

All I could do now was hope that my friends would be okay. Because, honest to goodness, Mitosu seemed to be much more…well, difficult--not to mention stronger--than I had originally thought.

But then again, everyone's always telling me that I rush into battle to often.

--------------------------

Zelos' POV

I watched helplessly as the attack hit Lloyd, expecting to hear him cry out in pain.

But instead, a type of…was it a bubble--cuz it sure looked like one--barrier surrounded him.

"Lloyd are you okay?" I asked, moving towards the bubble. I reached out my hand, wondering what this weird barrier felt like, when Kratos placed a hand on my shoulder, giving me a warning glance.

He opened his mouth to say something--but Mitosu cut him off.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you." He had a sickening smile on his face.

Now--without a doubt--I knew that this boy-man…copy of Mithos--or whatever he was--was much worse than the ex-Cruxis leader.

It sickened me to say the least.

"What…what did you do to me?" came Lloyds voice, though it was muffled, and a little…strange sounding.

" I didn't do anything. That's just a barrier…"

Liar.

The dark version of Mithos smirked, "…I'm sure you wouldn't like to see your friends die--ack" he then lost his balance, which seemed odd.

He had been perfectly balanced before, but now he seemed slightly dizzy. As if something unnoticeable to us--something invisible to our eye--was hurting him.

"Who said we were going to die?" Kratos stated, moving his hand off my shoulder, holding his blade up--using it as a pointer to Mitosu.

Yuan then flexed his hand--why I noticed, well, the metal sword-staff-thing moved as well, causing the strange lights in the room to reflect off it differently.

"Yes, I've lived this long, and if what I heard from Mithos is true--I would love to stay around to see Martel…" his voice was calm as he said this, though it held a sense of…truth and hope.

Woah, wait, did that mean he ran into the brat--Genis--and Mithos? Okay yeah, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried…so were they okay?

"You…heard from…Mithos?" Raine asked from over to the side. I turned to look at her, she seemed both nervous, and happy at the same time. Well, at least she seemed to have forgive Mithos for…whatever he did earlier.

That is, if he had done anything at all. But then again, that much tension in one place couldn't have been caused by her unsure-ness of his loyalties.

So yeah, Mithos definitely did something…but what?

I closed my eyes, this really wasn't the time to be thinking about…that sort of thing.

"I ran into them, actually." Yuan replied tersely, moving his sword with one great swinging motion, which seemed to cut the air in such away that it almost looked like a whip.

But then again it was too big and bulky to be a whip. Eh, who was I kidding? Yuan was always the one for grace, and magic tricks, so of course he'd be able to do something like that.

And needless to say, Mitosu seemed impressed.

"That's good." April replied, seeming relieved.

Though shortly after her relieved reply, Mitosu raised a hand above his head, though this time instead of a ball appearing--a disk did.

A very _sharp_ looking disk--for that matter.

Well this wasn't good.

"Go flying disk of…darkness…"

For some reason Mitosu seemed weaker now.

And, just for the sake of it, I had to wonder why.

He had proven to us that he was stronger than possibly even Mithos, and yet he…he looked sick.

He released the dark disk and it came down towards us.

And in one quick motion Yuan was there, blocking the disk and shortly after that, sending it back to its original owner.

To which Mitosu just dodged, though he was much slower than usual.

Then I noticed it--his eye color. It was red like it had been only moments before. Now it was...now it was a yellowish brown. The expression on his face reading pain.

What…what was going on.

Suddenly, just by a few words being spoken, my attention was completely and totally drawn away from Mitosu…and towards Pronyma, who was now leaning against the far side wall looking rather worn out.

"She…already knows…Neo…already knows…" she whispered, bowing her head.

Wait, so this Neo person--the person they were talking about when Mithos left--was a girl?

And she found out about...all this...this fighting and…them loosing Genis the 'key'?

Is that why Mitosu looked hurt?

I shook my head, why should I care? Mitosu was our enemy now. And there could be no sympathy for an enemy.

Besides, it was _his_ fault that Lloyd was now immobilized and in…that weird bubble barrier.

I then turned to face that barrier, a sudden memory flashing through my mind.

"_It's like a bubble." _

"What?"

"You can't pop a bubble on the inside now can you?"

Just…like that time…

I raised my sword, touching the very tip to the black barrier before raising it and slamming it against the wall.

A painful ringing sound entered my ears, and a horrible…sensation…of pain…laced its way up my arms and through the rest of my body.

"Gah!"

"Zelos!" that was Sheena. Well, at least she sounded like she cared.

"Wha--?"

The barrier shattered, or rather disappeared to reveal Lloyd--looking shocked.

I smiled, "That's good. The barriers gone."

"But how?"

"I smashed it with my sword."

"And I thought I told you not to touch it." Mitosu stated, his voice now right next my ear.

I blinked and looked to my side.

And there he was, his amber eyes glowing.

Then…just like that…the room…started fading out.

"Zelos!"

"Are you alright!"

"Get away from him!"

"Z…Zelos…"

"I'm…goin' to be…fine guys…don't worry 'bout me…" I said, laughing good-naturedly. Though I didn't believe that.

I felt so tired. And my vision just kept getting darker.

And I felt sleepy.

I fell to my knees onto the cold dark tiled flooring.

"Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how--or rather what--will happen to you?" Mitosu stated, backing up.

"Wha…?" I attempted to move my face upwards so that I could face him. But even that small movement left me weak and I couldn't hold it for long.

"Zerasu **(1)** has now awakened."

And then the room went dark, and I collapsed.

------------------------------

Zerasu is Zelos' name in Japanese. Though you won't see Zerasu, just remember that this is what caused him to 'wake up'. He's like Mitosu is to Mithos. And Jiniasu is to Genis.

**Me: **Well that's the end of TU Part 42…and I have some news….

**Feral: **Oh…it's about the next 2 weeks isn't it?

**Me: **Yeah. I won't be able to update next week (well I might be able to but I wouldn't like to) or the week afterwards. Why? Well, I have exam review guides to do next week and exams the following week.

**Feral: **To put it simply, you have no time to update.

**Me: **That basically sums it up. I _might_ be able to squeeze in a chapter next week. And that's a very small might. But putting that aside, R&R please! I love reviews--and I'll see you all again when winter break starts!


	43. Arrival in Exire

**Me: **Well, here it is--Chapter/Part 43

**April: **-nods head-yes, it is. Though it is kind of late since you said you'd update right after exams, and exams ended on Tuesday.

**Me: **Ah, yeah, I know. But I didn't get any time to update Tuesday (sister's fault), Wednesday (dentist) or Thursday (sister's fault again). So I'm updating today

**April: **Oh…I see.

**To Understand: Part Forty-three**

**Arrival in Exire**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews: **

**LittleLinor-**Eh-heh-heh you're the first reviewer again! And, as you can see, it's been (almost) two weeks, so I'm updating! And yeah, I noticed how I didn't make Genis say anything 'Genis-like' in the past few chapters, so I added that little comment in there—and of course, Mithos is acting sweet again (that's a given by now). Truth be told in the recent Chapter plan—that I found on my computer—I had it said that Genis and Mithos were supposed to be in Exire by Part 40…so how did it get extended (even I don't know)? Well then, here's the next chapter (also, thanks for beta-reading CM for me)!

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Yes another G/M fluff moment—I'm really getting good at writing them! And yes the creepy bubble of doom (I'm surprised no one's confused yet—but I have a small explanation in a bit about what happened…hopefully it won't confuse people more). And yes Zerasu has awakened. Who is he? Well you'll find out more in the sequel (but he is kind of like Mitosu's rival). Now then, here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Viaroura Fox-**Hmm, well yes Mitosu's with Pronyma, Zerasu's woken up somewhere I can't mention (unless you want me to, then I can send you a PM and tell you) and as for Jiniasu, you actually might see him. The pendant Zelos has is actually his, so he does come to reclaim it. Though I'm not exactly sure when that'll happen…

**Takokinoko-**Yes that's right. Some do need to be awakened (those being Zerasu and Mitosu) and some don't have to awaken (like Jiniasu and Seiji) in the other world. As for how—it can be like in Mithos' case, where Mitosu awakened because he turned evil—or like in Zelos' case—which you will find out eventually. **  
**

**Hiranieas-**Thanks for the good luck on my exams! I actually did do well on most of them (well the ones that I had to do well on I did well on). And yes music seems to help me focus more (whether it be studying, or typing chapters for TU). Also I don't have planned where Genis gets sick, so you don't have to worry about that! Now here's the next chapter, enjoy!

**  
April: **So this is the chapter when Genis and Mithos finally get to Exire?

**Me: **Yup, though they'll get to it in the end (which is why this chapter's long)

**April: **But what will they do while they wait for Lloyd and the others?

**Me: **Well Mithos will be busy answering questions, and Genis will be getting healed. But after that you'll just have to wait and see.

**April: **Oh…okay then, I'll do the disclaimer. Harmony283 doesn't own Tales of Symphonia or any of its characters. They all rightfully belong to Namco. She does however own every OC that appears/is mentioned in this fanfic, Feral, me, and of course, the plot.

**Authors Note: **Good job April. Now then, in the last chapter Mithos was thinking about who exactly Mitosu was, and where he came from--all while flying towards Exire. Also you figured out what happened to Lloyd, but Zelos collapsed. What happened to him and will he all right. Also Genis and Mithos finally reach Exire, but how will Mithos explain their wounds? And will everything go as smoothly as he hopes while waiting for Lloyd and co. to get there?

**April: **well…I hope Zelos is okay…but that whole thing was…confusing. What's wrong with Mitosu?

**Me: **It has something to do with how often he used his 'darkness' attacks. They have side effects, and he not only immobilized Lloyd--which takes up a lot of energy--he also used a barrier to block his view--which has horrible consequences if someone breaks it.

**April: **…So I guess I'll find out more about it in the sequel?

**Me: **Yeah, so you'll just have to be patient.

-----------------------------------------------------

Genis' POV

I groaned lightly, feeling a sense of something sweeping over me. I gently opened my eyes, peering out at my surroundings and--

If Mithos hadn't had such a good grip on me, I'm sure I would have fallen.

Then again, waking up mid air dangling hundreds of feet in the air would probably induce this, well, feeling of fear. It was almost like a dream--except for it wasn't.

"Are you…okay?" Mithos asked, pulling me closer to him, smiling gently as I stared up at him.

"I…yeah, I'm okay…just a bit, um…"

"Startled?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah, startled. I just…are…are we there yet?" I asked, trying to stifle a yawn.

Mithos shook his head, "I'm not sure. Though we'll see it soon."

Then I remembered, "Won't it look odd if we just land in the middle of the city?"

Mithos shook his head, "There are small platforms making up the town--there's one I know of that is, to some extent, secret. We won't be seen if we land there. And we can always fly under Exire if necessary."

That thought slightly freaked me out, but then again, I had to wonder what kept Exire in the air…or rather, what kept it moving.

Mithos smiled at this, "I'm sure you'd like to see it too."

I nodded my head, "Yeah…I would," I nuzzled my face against his chest, "But I'm too sleepy right now…and you need to rest too. You're still hurt."

I looked up at Mithos as I felt him flinch, "I guess so." Was his only murmured response, which slightly surprised me.

Was he still upset that I had asked him why he was hurt? But I told him that I wanted to care about him--which of course meant that I couldn't easily forget about…about him getting hurt.

I sighed once more, "Mithos…it's okay…"

He didn't answer, he just kept looking forward.

"I--"

"Shh, just go back to sleep," he murmured, "who knows when you'll have to fight again."

Well, that was true but…

"But…"

He glanced down at me, his eyes stern, "Genis, you know you need your rest," then he smiled, "so stop worrying about me, and start worrying about yourself. What would Raine say if she came to Exire and you weren't any better than when she last saw you?"

I thought about this for a moment, "Ah…well, she'd probably be worried…but you need your strength too! You're a lot stronger than I am so--"

I was cut off when he suddenly stopped, placing a finger on my lips, a soft smile on his face, "I said don't worry. I'll rest too, but you need more rest than I do."

"Um--"

Mithos gently flapped his angel wings, taking off once more, his eyes turned away from me, looking at some object obscured in clouds.

I followed his gaze and noticed it as well, it was covered too thickly by clouds, but it was _definitely _something floating. And it was unusually shaped too.

"Is that--"

"Yes it is. We're almost to Exire, though it still might take a while."

I scowled, "And so you're going to tell me to go back to…sleep…?" I felt my eyes grow heavy as if the very word was commanding them.

"Yes, that's what I was going to suggest," he smiled down at me, "but it looks like you're finally understanding what I meant by you needing to sleep more than I do." I felt him place a chaste kiss on my forehead as I leaned my head against his chest.

It surprised me how comfortable he was, but then again, I should have known that by now. I mean, how many times have I fallen asleep in his lap now?

But that wasn't the only thing that surprised me. Another was the sense of, well, I felt safe for the first time in a long while.

I smiled to myself, letting the sound of the waves beneath us lull me into further unconsciousness.

-----------------------------

Lloyds POV

I watched helplessly as Zelos collapsed onto the ground in a dead faint. Or at least I _hoped _he had just fainted…that it wasn't any worse than that…

I also watched, unmoving, as the healers of the group crowded around his limp form, casting various healing spells.

That just worried me even more, but it wasn't like he was going to die, right? Because if he died--no, I don't even _want_ to think about that. If he died not only would I…would I be sad, but he has a little sister! What would we tell her?!

I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, knowing that I was getting ahead of myself. It's ironic that now, since I couldn't do anything about the fighting that was taking place before me, I had time to actually think about other things. I already knew that, if I had been able to move, I would have already attacked Mitosu.

Which would have probably led to me getting seriously wounded. That would probably lead to some other really bad, and really hard to get out of, situation that would put Zelos's life on the line even _more_.

And I just couldn't do that.

So I was saying I liked being able to do nothing? No, not really, but it_ did_ give me an alternate view on what was going on. I guess in a way, this must be what bystanders see when they witness a fight.

Suddenly I saw a flash of movement from our amber-eyed enemy. He had teleported wordlessly over to where Pronyma sat, and, at least from what I could see, he seemed scared.

Was it because of this whole Zerasu thing? Who was Zerasu anyway?

"Wait a second! Were do you think you're going?!" I called out, making him freeze, and turning everyone--except Raine and Aprils--attention towards him. He growled annoyedly, dropping his hands to the side, standing in front of Pronyma.

"Where do you think I'm going?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking!"

Mitosu shook his head, "I can't believe it, didn't Mithos tell you _anything_?"

"He said that you were from somewhere else, but he never got a chance to tell us where exactly that 'somewhere else' was." Kratos stated, crossing his arms over his chest, though he looked ready to pull out his sword at a moments notice.

Mitosu just shook his head once more, a sickening smile--or rather, a mockery of a smile--slowly spreading across his lips, "Well if he didn't tell you then I'm definitely not going to tell you."

"Wha--"

"--we need to leave…Mitosu." Pronyma whispered loud enough for us to hear, but not so loud as to make us think she was an actual threat.

"Of course, you're right. We need to tell Neo about…about Zerasu's awakening."

"And why the hell is Zerasu so important?!?"

"Because in our world, he is our enemy." That twisted smile was still plastered on his face, though it did seem a bit gentler as he bent down and helped Pronyma up. He then turned back to face us, "I will leave…for now. But that does not, under any circumstances, mean that I'm leaving for good."

"Hmph, you needn't tell us something we already know." Yuan stated, crossing his arms over his chest. Though I found it odd that his sword was gone and that his cape had somehow come back.

So was his sword really made out of his cape? Weird…

Mitosu just continued to smirk, "Well then, since you already know that I have nothing else to say."

"Lloyd…what about Lloyd?"

Yeah what about me? I still couldn't move! And…he wasn't just going to leave me here, was he? Well, I wouldn't put it past him…but still…

"Ah yes, what about you?" his smirk never ceased to exist, but he did raise his hand, snapping his fingers and, just like magic, I could move again.

And the sudden movement that was given to me caused me to fall over.

Ouch.

"Lloyd, are you okay?!"

I staggered to get up again as Colette ran over to me.

"Y-Yeah…I'm cool. I just fell."

"Hey! He's gone!" Sheena pointed out, making me, along with everyone else in the room, turn to look at the place where Mitosu had been standing.

"So I guess…I guess that means he really did leave."

"But like he said--" Kratos began

"--He will come back." Yuan finished.

This led on about a two minute silence, which was broken by a light cough from Kratos.

"What?"

"You two are close…aren't you?" Sheena inquired, though it sounded like she was implying more than the fact that they were friends…like they were…?

Or wait, did I even know they were more than friends? What proof of it was there? Okay, maybe the fact that Yuan saved Kratos' life when he released Origins seal, and yeah maybe their feelings could have deepened over the past four thousand years…but…but other than that there wasn't any proof.

"Hmph, now is not the time to worry about that."

"Yuan's right," Raine murmured, still looking worried, "We need to find out where Genis and Mithos went. And since you were the last to see them, Yuan…" she trailed off, turning her gaze to Yuan, as did everyone else.

Yuan merely nodded his head, "Yes, I…do know where they are, or rather where they are going."

"And that would be…? Most of us are tired, and Zelos, along with Presea, are not in suitable conditions to go any farther than necessary…" April said from beside me.

"Yes I know that, and they're going to Exire."

"E-Exire…?"

"Yes Exire."

"Why Exire? What's so important about that place, besides the fact that it's a safe haven for half-elves?" Sheena asked, tilting her head to the side, obviously confused.

And I was too. I mean, yes it was a good idea that the two left there, but…but because of the fact that that place is safe, wouldn't it be a likely candidate for Pronyma and Mitosu—both half-elves—to search?

"He said it had to do with the Summon Spirit Maxwell, and about Martels revival. Though I told him it wasn't a smart idea since he and Maxwell never got along…even before Mithos, ah, split the two worlds."

"Oh…"

"Yes 'oh'. But right now I believe Zelos is in need of medical attention."

"So we're off to--"

"We…don't have to go anywhere…" I froze, looking down at Zelos as he struggled to get up. I knew he was probably in pain, but he wasn't showing it.

"What do you mean by that? You're hurt!"

"I'm fine…it just shocked me a bit, other than that I'm fine." He said with, what looked to be a forced, smile on his face.

"Uh, right Zelos. You do realize you said 'I'm Fine' twice? That definitely means you're not fine."

Zelos attempted to shake his head, but winced in pain, glancing down at his hands. I followed his gaze and saw that his gloves were burnt. Did that happen when he touched the barrier?

But he didn't touch the barrier directly, so…

"How did you…burn your hands?" I asked, reaching forward and grabbing his hands, not tightly, but hard enough to make him know that I didn't want him to pull away. I flipped them over so that the palms were face up and gasped.

"What the--what is that?!?"

I stared down at his hands in disbelief. There was some kind of…insignia…on both of his palms. It was red, like blood…and yet it _wasn't _blood. It was like…a…a…birth mark, or a tattoo of some sort.

"I…that…is that what happened when I…? This is bad."

"Yeah this is bad, we don't even know what that is!"

"Yes, I've never…seen anything like it," April said, shaking her head from side to side, "But maybe an elf might know what it is."

"But Heimdall is in ruins." Sheena pointed out, though she looked worried as well.

"There is…there is a place where an elf resides that is not in Heimdall, correct?"

I blinked, "Ah! You mean Latheon…?"

"Yes, the elven story-teller. He's been around for longer than some Elves…maybe he's seen this before."

"But I'm…" Raine cut in, but then quickly shook her head, "Ah, no, we can…go to Exire after Zelos is healed…"

"Ah yeah, I'd like to get these things off as soon as possible. I mean, they affect my beauty over all…"

"But you always wear gloves."

"That's true, now let's hurry, since I don't know what that is, and since Mitosu isn't from here--meaning I've never seen that attack before--who knows if that tattoo will spread. Or what it will do to you in the long run."

Zelos flinched but nodded his head, "Yes Professor Raine," he paused, as if thinking something over, "But don't you think…I mean, I know he's a brat an' all but I thought you wanted to go to Exire."

Raine shook her head once more, "Like I said, you're in immediate danger."

"Zelos is right, though. If you're so worried about Genis then you should head to Exire. I mean, yes Zelos is hurt, but we can split into two groups."

"Yeah, I agree with Lloyd. We should split into two groups. I already know I wanna go to Exire since Maxwell's there and I need to make a pact with him."

"And I want to go there too, to get more information about Martels revival from Mithos." Yuan said, crossing his arms, his expression blank and unreadable as always.

"I…would like to go with Raine as well. I'm worried about how Genis is…" April added in.

"I-I would too!" Colette quickly added in, "I mean, um, you guys'll be fine ri-right?"

I nodded my head, "Okay then, so Raine, April, Yuan, Colette, and Sheena want to go to Exire. That just leaves me, Kratos, Regal, and Presea to go along with Zelos. How does that sound."

"That's fine with me."

"Yes…I do not mind."

I nodded my head, "Okay then, so we'll all just meet up in Exire when Zelos gets better, or at least until we figure out what that…what's wrong with him."

Zelos pouted, "You need to word that differently, but yeah, I'm cool with you guys comin'." He grinned, though he still looked like he was in pain.

"So I guess…we'll leave now, right?"

"Yes, thankfully though," Yuan pulled out a weird shaped stone that had something written on it, "we won't have to go back through Derris Kharlan in order to get back to the tower of Salvation."

"we…won't?"

"No, we won't. This stone, as well as the other two I found, affects where, and how, this teleport pad works. It should take us straight to the Tower of Salvation."

Well…that would definitely save time but…

"How did you get these stones in the first place?"

Yuan sighed, "You are forgetting that I was working for Mithos…at one point."

Oh, yeah…that's right, he was…

----------------------------------------

Mithos' POV

I could literally feel myself falling asleep…but I knew I couldn't. Yes I was tired, and yes I probably did over exert myself, but I just _couldn't _fall asleep. Besides, there was ocean underneath me, and Exire was right there, maybe only a mile or two away.

Thankfully it wasn't turning as fast as I had remembered last time. But then again, it's been four thousand years, so of course the mechanics of it probably have slowed down.

Not that it mattered much, I mean, it wasn't like having a Rhieard was the 'norm' for people in Tethe'alla. So Exire was safe regardless. It also never traveled over land…I could only imagine the problems it would have caused if it did.

I sighed softly, flapping my angelic wings once more in attempts to wake myself up. Though I knew I'd probably be extremely sore once I took of my Cruxis Crystal, whenever that would be.

Genis murmured something in his sleep, causing me to look down at him. He had thankfully taken my advice to sleep again, which made it a lot easier for me to concentrate. Though the fact that he looked so peaceful made _me_ tired.

I sighed again, shaking my head, "I can't fall asleep yet--I'm almost there." I narrowed my eyes, trying my best to see through the thick coverage of clouds. Now was one of those times that I realized most some of the effects of not having my Cruxis Crystal on.

My eyesight had, well, gone back to normal probably within the first hour of my Cruxis Crystals absence. It was strange how I didn't notice it at first, but then again, my eyesight has always been exceptional, or at least that's what Martel had told me.

And now…now we were going to wait, let Sheena make the pact with Maxwell, and then ask him about…about a way to revive Martels body. I just hoped he knew how, if he couldn't do it himself.

Then again, he was the Summon Spirit of Birth. Why wouldn't he be able to bring back at least her body? Then again…the Summon Spirit of Birth _created_ things…gave birth to things. He did not bring long dead things, humans in this case, back to life.

Then what…but…no, he must know a way to bring her back. I mean, why would they have the way to make a Mirror Crest--a key crest that could bring a person back from their exsphere prison and back to their original body? I, there has to have been a case similar to what's happening now. But now I wondered who it was that came up with such an…absurd idea.

Unless…

Genis shifted closer to me, a smile spreading on his lips, making me smile as well. At least it seemed like he was having a good dream. He deserves to have good dreams after everything that's happened to him.

Suddenly the wind picked up, blowing the surrounding clouds further away, giving me a clear view of the floating city of Exire. Like any City, it had homes, and a small market place.

Though unlike a regular city, the houses and market place were on platforms covered with either stones or stone walkways. There were connecting walkways between each platform, and even stairs connecting some of the higher ones to the lower platforms.

I could see from here, small objects moving, obviously children or the half-elves themselves.

I smiled, at least they seemed to be okay. It saddened me that they had to live away from the rest of the world, but it was for the good of our species.

I paused and floated downwards to fly under the huge floating platforms. I already knew that the platform I wanted would be the farthest one. And that it would be the hidden one behind, or at least close to, the Mayors home.

Finally I was under the huge city, and I quickened my pace, the moving platforms always caused massive waves in the ocean underneath them, as well as the wind to pick up, which meant it was harder to fly.

Almost as soon as I entered the area beneath the city, I was on the other side. I slowed down and turned around, looking up as I did so. There I could see the underside of an _extremely_ long walkway. I floated up slowly, looking around to make sure no one was looking, and thankfully, no one was on the platform connecting to Maxwell's seal.

I slowly rose up above the platform before landing on it, nearly falling as I did so. I quickly willed away my angel wings and placed Genis on the ground at the base of a tree. I then turned to look at the ocean below. I already knew that if we just walked into town they would wonder who we were and how we had gotten there.

So if I made it sound like we had ridden on Rhieards…and then were attacked by monsters…then…then I could probably get by. I sighed once more, closing my eyes. I then focused my energy into a ball of light magic in the palm of my hand. I then threw it down at the oceans surface, causing a massive light show.

Well that certainly was believable.

I heard the doorway to the mayors home open and quickly kneeled on the ground, knowing that my, along with Genis', wounds looked to be about as bad as the 'pretend' accident I had created.

"What the--" I heard his voice echo over the air, making me smile.

The mayor then rushed down the steps on the side of his home, followed by a few others. He noticed me first, and then Genis. He let out a startled gasp and rushed towards us.

"Are you two--oh for the love of the Goddess Martel! Are you okay?"

I pretended to be caring for Genis' wounds, and turned to face him, "I-I'm fine…but Genis…"

The mayor looked past me and at Genis' wounded form, a woman next to him--who had brown hair up in a bun and a staff in her hand--gasped out loud.

"Dear…oh…dear, come let's bring you to my home, it's closest. Then you can tell us what happened."

I nodded my head, turning around and picking up Genis. I turned back around and nodded my head once more, "Okay then…um,"

"Ah--right. Come this way." The woman, as well as the other half-elves that had come to see what happened, turned around and walked back along the suspended walkway to the other platform.

I followed silently behind them, trying my best to walk in a straight path without limping. I knew that I was fine, because I couldn't feel anything. But they didn't know that. The last thing I needed was for them to realize I was hurt. Then they would want to take care of me as well when, I glanced down at Genis, he needed their attention most.

Now I hoped that Genis' friends came quickly. I really didn't want to lie to my own kind. Yes I had to make it seem that we came here on Rhieards, but I didn't want to tell them anything more.

After all, these people really didn't know anything. But that didn't mean they were stupid.

I sighed once more, making my way around the mayors house behind the small group of half-elves, and onto the main platform.

A group of children had gathered, and they were now staring at me.

The brown haired woman just continued walking towards a rather large house on the next platform. It seemed to have three levels, though there were Katz, which meant that the upper level must be devoted to their exploration business.

The woman walked in through the first door, not even glancing at the Katz who waved at her, and motioned for me to follow her, and I did. She then quickly closed the door, allowing only the mayor to enter behind us, and turned back to face me, "Okay then, please lay him down on the bed over there. I'll go get some medicine for your wounds, and I need my healing equipment." She turned to walk up the stairs, but not before a younger girl with brown hair could come out of the kitchen.

"Mother don't tell me you brought in--oh…" her face flushed pink when she saw me with Genis still in my arms.

"Ah, Maria, please make some herbal tea for our visitors and I will be back shortly." The woman turned back around once more and hurried up the stairs.

"Um…uh…well, I'll go make the tea now…" Maria quickly bowed her head and rushed out of the room. I just shook my head, walking over to the nearby bed, placing Genis on it.

I then turned back to face the mayor, a scowl on my face, "You do realize it's rude to stare."

The mayor, a man with brown, slightly spiky, hair and green eyes wearing the traditional tan, green, and white garb of the other towns people, just shook his head, "I'm sorry but I must inquire about what happened to you. I understand that you seem unharmed, but your friend…his name is Genis correct?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah that's his name."

"Fine then, Genis seems to be wounded a great deal. What happened to him? Did someone attack him…?"

I shook my head, "I'd rather not say here. We…have friends who might be coming soon. I'd rather explain it to you when they get here."

"I see. Well, at least you're in luck, Belle was free today from her usual healing schedule."

This confused me, "Healing schedule? Do people normally get sick or hurt in this village?"

the mayor shook his head, "No, not necessarily. We've just had some, well, interesting people here over the years. One of which is an elven woman we found about twelve years ago."

"And? What's wrong with her?"

"She's had sufficient brain damage, or so we believe," he shook his head sadly, "She keeps saying that she needs to leave to protect her two children, and she still thinks she's in Heimdall."

I flinched, "Ah…that's…and she hasn't been told otherwise?"

"She's insane. No one will go near her. Though I can't say that it's entirely her fault, when she first came here she was with her husband, but he was already dead. She said something about the Papal Knights killing him…and that she had seen it happen."

"And her children…?"

"Neither of them were with her. They were either taken to the Institute in Sybak, or in Meltokio. Either that or she abandoned them and they're still on the run or…"

"They're dead." I finished for him, to which he just nodded his head, his lips forming a thin line.

That honestly wouldn't have surprised me if I heard it from anyone else. But still, it didn't take away from the fact that it was sad.

"And why did they kill his father?"

"He was…a soldier from what I could tell. And…and he was a noble. He was obviously an important person in the kings court since he had an official letter from the king, and he had the kings symbol."

A moment of silence passed between us, which was soon broken by Maria's footsteps and the clattering of dishes.

After about a minute or so, we were seated on the couch with a cup of herbal tea in our hands. Though I really, _really_ didn't feel like drinking tea at a time like this, not to mention the fact that that woman wasn't back yet.

I was about to take a sip of the weird amber liquid when I noticed Maria staring at me. I looked up at her, "Hmm?"

"Ah, oh, I-I'm sorry…I just…um…" she glanced down at her lap, looking extremely embarrassed.

"You just…? What is it?"

"Um--how is it like on the surface world? I mean, you _must _have come from there since I've never seen you before…"

That's when I realized one thing. That one thing was definitely sealed until the time Lloyd and the others got here.

This was going to be a _long_ day. A very long day filled with questions I didn't want answer, or questions I didn't want to be asked.

I took a sip of the warm liquid, thankful that I couldn't really taste much of anything anymore, then I took a glance over at Genis' sleeping form, and then I finally looked back up at her. She seemed to be holding her breath, though she wasn't exactly looking at me.

And the mayor thought this was amusing, I could tell just by the way he was sitting.

"What do you want to know?"

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**Me: **And that's the end of TU 43! And yeah, I know I told some people that it'd be up on Wednesday, but I didn't have any time then, or on Thursday. So I'm updating today.

**April: **Well at least Genis and Mithos are in Exire now. And…they're going to Latheon Gorge? Where did _that_ idea come from?

**Me: **Blame the game, blame the game. Besides, I wrote that part late last night.

**April: **Ah…I see.

**Me: **Now then R&R please! Reviews make me want to update faster! Also Merry Christmas to those who celebrate Christmas, and Happy Holidays to everyone else!


	44. Unanswered Questions

**Me: **And here's the next Chapter of TU--and yet again I'm extremely sorry for the delays (which can mostly be blamed on a messed up computer and ToA)

**Feral: **Well yes your computer did decide to be evil to you over the holidays…but you really shouldn't procrastinate so much.

**Me: **Meh, I know, I know…

**To Understand: Chapter Forty-four**

**Unanswered Questions **

By Harmony283

**Reviews: **

Hiranieas-Yes it's finally Winter break and yes I did update the last chapter a little late last time (and this one's late too, but for reasons I really couldn't control). But yeah, Mithos and Genis finally made it to Exire. Though nothing too terribly interesting happens between, them in this chapter (I'm saving it for the next chapters when they get new outfits--or at least Mithos does). Now here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**LittleLinor-**Heh, yes Mithos is going to have a hard time answering all Maria's questions (she seems so shy, and yet she becomes so talkative). But of course, he'll answer her questions to the best of his ability…while wondering about if Genis is okay. As for Zelos' trip to the gorge, well, let's just say he's being very OOC and not complaining (for once). -cough- but yeah, here's the next chapter, enjoy!

**Takokinoko-**Yes Mithos and Genis finally made it to Exire, and yes the elf woman Mithos and the Mayor are talking about is, in fact, Genis' mother. I was actually not going to mention her at all, but I decided I should b/c they're in Exire an' all (I also mention Kloitz grave, which you'll figure out more about later). And yes, Yuans mysterious cape-sword-when the sword appears, the cape disappears and vise-versa! How strange…-cough-uh yeah, here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Viaroura Fox-**Yeah Mithos gets to answer questions while Genis just sleeps away on the bed, waiting to get healed. And yeah, kids just don't get that asking so many questions gets annoying. - -; Anyway, here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Red tattoos…I really have no idea where I got that idea but yeah, they aren't good. But will you even figure out what they are? Hmm, well, I'm not too sure if I can rightfully say right now (I'll probably just come up with something) but yeah, here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Feral: **So the group's splitting up again?

**Me: **Yeah, it's the only way I could see to do it that'd make the most sense. But they will meet up in Exire soon, so it's all good.

**Feral: **Yes…it's all good. Hmm, well then, uh Harmony283 doesn't own Tales of Symphonia or it's characters. They rightfully belong to Namco. But she does own Feral, me, along with any OC's and the plot.

**Authors Note: **okay then, well, this chapter took a while and -bows head- I apologize to those who I told it would be out Thursday. As you can see, it's not Thursday (in fact it's not even _that week_ so I apologize once more). -cough- anyway, in this chapter Mithos answers one more of Maria's questions, but it seems to hit a sore note with her. Also Belle asks questions about Genis' wounds, and of course Mithos doesn't want to answer. On another note, Zelos is being very out of character as they make their way to the storyteller's home. But will they even find out what the red tattoos mean?

**Feral: **I'm assuming they don't, since that's just not your forte--telling people what something is when it's first introduced.

**Me: **Eh, well, you're right…and you'll just have to wait and see…

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Mithos' POV

"Ah! But then…then where did you live? And how did you get money…?"

I blinked, "What?"

"You said yourself that you lived somewhere isolated--so how did you get food? I mean didn't you get hungry?"

I blinked again, "How do I get food?" It took a second for that to sink in, but once it did, well, now I was glad I put down the tea cup…I probably would've broken it.

"Yes, how do you eat…um…" Maria just stared at me, looking confused and why wouldn't she be? I just made it sound like I didn't eat.

Which was true, but she didn't need to know that. After all, I _am_ a normal, non-Cruxis Crystal wearing half-elf, not some angel that doesn't need to sleep or eat.

But then again I'm both right now. Heh, how ironic.

"What's so funny? Oh, or is it funny to ask about eating?"

That snapped me back to reality and I quickly shook my head, "No, no, that just made me remember something…a fond memory…" I glanced over at the still form of Genis, which now only looked like lumps under the bedcovers.

"A fond memory…?" the brunette followed my gaze, her eyes immediately filling with sadness when they fell on the young mage.

"Yes, but as for your question, I don't really need money so much as I need food…and I know how to grow my own food. I also live with two others, though they aren't around that often. They usually bring food back from when they visit markets."

Maria's face showed even more sadness, "But do they let your friends in…?"

I smiled, "Oh don't worry, one of my friends, as well as many of Genis' friends, are human. And since we travel with them, we're allowed in inns and shops. It's…it's not like regular townspeople know how to sense mana. It's only our kind, elves, and Mage's who can."

"I-I see. So if I were to go to the surface now, I could live somewhere without humans knowing I was a half-elf?" she looked hopefully, which made it even worse for me to tell her the sad truth.

"It'd be okay…but you'd have to lie, and you'd also have to move around constantly because, unlike humans, we don't age…you know that, right?"

Maria's hands tightened, and now I was wondering if that was the smartest thing to say.

"I-I see, but, um, I--"

"Maria, why don't you tell everyone we have visitors?" the mayor suddenly said, making her jump up a little too quickly.

Hmm, now I really know I shouldn't have reminded her about the 'we don't age' part.

"Ah--yes, o-of course! They're probably wondering who…you are…" she glanced at me, before turning her gaze back to the door and rushing out of the room.

"Um…"

"It's fine, don't worry yourself over that."

I blinked, "But why? Or, wait, don't tell me, they think we age…just like humans do?"

The mayor shook his head, sighing, "No she knows we're long-lived, like Elves, but you see…some people here were abandoned."

"I kind of figured that…"

He just nodded his head at this, his eyes growing sad, "yes, you probably did. You know more about this world than most children your age do."

"I know that as well. But I--I didn't really face the prejudice that…that Genis…" I looked over at the still form of Genis, watching as the covers gently lift and fell with each slightly heavy breath he took.

"Really now? That boys name is…Genis? And yours is…?"

"Mithos."

His eyes widened, "M-Mithos…?"

"I was…named after…him." I muttered, looking away from him. Here I was again, fooling another person into believing that lie…I mean, I am the Hero Mithos…

Though I'm not so much of a 'Hero' anymore. Just like the elves say: I'm a fallen hero.

Someone who--

"That's wonderful--that you were named after him, I mean."

I jumped and turned around, only to see the brown haired healer from earlier. She smiled at me, almost apologetically, and walked over to Genis. She kneeled down on the ground next to the bed, pulling off the covers as she did so.

As she did this she let out a long gasp, her motions freezing as she finished pulling the covers down his back--revealing the bloodied scars that were there…

The scars that didn't seem to heal.

"H-how…?" she murmured, obviously wondering what could've caused those wounds. But I--couldn't tell her, well, I couldn't tell her the truth anyway.

She wouldn't believe me, and, even if she did, she'd ask how I knew about this…and if I was there. The questions would just stem off from there and get more in depth as they went along.

And, yet again, I didn't want to answer for anything until Genis' friends got here. As for how long it'd be till then, I didn't know.

Though I was hoping that it was soon, I mean, even I'm starting to feel bad about leaving them to face Pronyma and Mitosu…

"How did he get this…wound?" now both she, and the mayor, were looking at me with horrified looks.

I just sighed.

"Well?"

"I…I'd rather not say…until our friends get here."

"But why no--"

"Because it's--ah--hard to explain."

"I'll listen to whatever it is you have to say because I need to know what caused this before I can heal him!"

"Would you rather have me lie?" I snapped, making her flinch.

"But…why would you lie, Mithos? Is it really that outrageous?" she asked, now giving me a confused look.

"Belle, it's okay. If he believes that he is inclined to lie about it…then we should wait to ask questions after his friends arrive. As for healing, I believe you should immediately. I'm no healer but even I can tell that those wounds are deep."

Belle sighed and turned back to face Genis, "Yes, and if you were a healer you'd also be able to see that these wounds have been healed before, by one with greater healing powers than I."

"That's because they were healed, at one point. And it was by an elven woman."

Belle snapped her head towards me, "What? And when was this?"

Well, it wouldn't hurt to tell them that, now would it?

"I think it was around a week ago…but I'm not too sure." I looked up at the lavender sky and sighed, "It's so hard to tell now…with the sky like this." Even though I was used to seeing this sky, compared to the normal sky--the sky that was just a hologram--this was much different…and much less preferred.

"I…see, then maybe she must have healed the wounds too soon, when they were too deep and new. I'll try myself, though I doubt it'll be as strong or as effective."

"Well it certainly won't be if you keep saying that."

She gave me a sharp look before raising her staff above Genis' sleeping body, murmuring something before calling out, much like Raine did, "Revitalize!"

--------------------------------

Zelos' POV

"Are we _there_ yet?" I whined, trudging up some ways behind the rest of our split group. Of course, the only one who seemed to pay any attention to me was Lloyd, but that was to be expected.

He stopped, of course, and turned to face me with a look of worry on his face, "Are you okay…?"

I groaned, "Just tired." How ironic, I wanted to gain their attention and yet…and yet now I didn't want Lloyd to worry. Yes I knew something was wrong, I could _feel_ it. And it had to do something with those weird insignia's carved on my hands. Thankfully I had an extra pair of gloves to wear that covered them, or else I probably wouldn't have been able to touch anything.

"Are you sure? You've…this is the first time you've complained in over an hour…I mean, usually…"

"Lloyd, leave him be," Kratos said, now noticing that his 'precious son' was lagging behind. He gave me a confused look, then he glanced down at my hands with an even more confused look. Heh, his expression almost matched Lloyd's.

My train of thought was cut off as he continued, "Besides it would be a much faster journey if we didn't fight."

"I know, I know, yeesh," then, in a quieter voice I added, "You don't have to tell me that, old man."

Of course Lloyd hadn't heard this, but Kratos had, which was the reason behind his cold stare…

"Um…?"

"Would I request that we continue on? We are almost at the summit."

"And as Kratos said, it would be wisest not to stop and rest. After all there are still many monsters about, some of which I would rather not run into if I had the choice." Regal finished.

"Okay."

"Hmph."

"Fine, fine, but let's just hurry up…" I glanced warily at my hands, though I couldn't see those horrible red tattoo like marks, It felt like I could…

"First you say you're tired and now you're telling us to hurry?" Kratos inquired, still sounding a bit peeved at me calling him an old man.

But it was the truth…though I was probably the only one, besides Lloyd, who could get away with that unscathed, or rather with just a glare as a warning. I mean, I can't call Yuan old for fear of getting my head chopped off.

I shivered involuntarily, walking past the red-haired mercenary quickly, "Well I changed my mind, y'know." I felt the others gaze on my back as I started my ascent up the relatively steep hill. They were right that we were almost there and when we got there I could ask that old story-teller guy about these…marks…

Though I had the sinking feeling he probably wouldn't know anything about them. After all, Mitosu was most likely not from Sylvarant/Tethe'alla so the techniques were probably not from here. Either that or they were some kind of forbidden spell that only power hungry fools try to learn.

But he didn't come across as that type.

Then again, Mithos hadn't either…but, no, Mithos only wanted his sister back. Well, okay yeah he was a fool then for thinking he could bring back the dead. Even if he had managed to bring back his sister in Colette, it didn't mean that she would be the same.

But Genis said he found another way…

"Zelos! Watch out!"

My eyes widened and the clang of metal against some type of monster could be heard. I blinked and looked up, watching as Kratos amputated a large Tortoise like monsters head.

"Wha--?"

"You need to be more aware of your surroundings." Kratos turned to face me, sheathing his sword, "But that's not it is it?" He gave me a look that made it all too clear that he knew what was up.

I looked away, unable to keep my gaze locked onto his. Who could stand to look that man in the face without a single feeling of fear?

"Let me see your hands. They are the cause of your…worries aren't they?" he walked over to me, gripping one of my wrists gently, and removing one of my gloves.

"Your hands are bothering you again?" Lloyd asked, walking over to my other side and watching with interest as the pink and black glove fell to the ground, exposing the sickening marks to the world.

Kratos barely touched them with his fingers, muttering a few words under his breath before whispering, "First Aid."

It didn't do anything to make the markings go away, but the pain went away. Then again, I hadn't even noticed that my hand hurt until he pointed it out.

Kratos did the same to my other hand before backing away, "There, now then, we're almost there and I would…like to prevent us from stopping again."

"I--yeah fine." I muttered, slipping back on my gloves before following the ex-Angel of Cruxis, Lloyd walking next to me. Presea and Regal walked behind us, bringing up the rear of our group.

I was surrounded on all sides now, most likely because of that encounter. They were trying their best to protect me.

It hit me then, how much I hated to be protected like this. Yeah I hated to get hurt but…but the fact was I couldn't do much about that. My sword was, well, destroyed, and my hands couldn't touch anything without feeling the sensation of burning.

I was useless.

And I hated it.

"Zelos?" I turned to face Lloyd, who smiled when my gaze met his, "Don't worry, we're almost there. I'm _sure_ the story-teller will know at least something that might help us out with your…wounds."

I smiled, even knowing that that chance was unlikely, it helped that Lloyd was so optimistic about it. That always seemed to make me feel better. Just like…just like he always said my being cheerful--or the laughing stock of the group--always made him feel better.

"Yeah, hopefully."

We continued walking for a bit, floating through the air in those weird bubbles whenever needed, which always brought up the fact that Genis had once tried to blow me away with one once.

That little brat.

Soon we made it to that steep passageway that cut into the mountain, leading up to the top of the gorge, where the storyteller lived. I sighed in relief as our ascent on the rocky path was finally completed, and we were standing in front of the wooden door that was the front door to the small cottage, like house.

Almost too soon, though, we found ourselves in the small room, the story-teller looking quite surprised at our sudden intrusion. But when he laid eyes on me, his face darkened.

"What might I do for you…?"

"We have a problem." Kratos stated, beckoning me to come forward, "There is something we would like you to look at, and tell us anything about--that is if you do in fact know anything about it."

I opened my mouth, about to ask how anyone could derive any sense from those hurried words, but shut it immediately when the story teller looked back at me, "Well? You obviously have whatever it is that I'm supposed to see, so show me."

I felt incredibly awkward removing my gloves, but I did, and waited as the elven man inspected them.

A few seconds later, he spoke, "Before I make any assumptions, may I ask the origin of how these…markings…came about?" he sounded hesitant, almost afraid of what our answer would be.

But Lloyd, and the others, apparently didn't hear this, and, well, told him.

"I was, um, surrounded by a barrier and he broke it with his sword,"

"I told him not to because of the strange aura emitting from it, but when he did…"

"Some type of black light went through his sword."

"And he collapsed on the ground."

"I see. And who set up this barrier around you?"

"Mitosu."

"Mitosu? Who is this Mitosu? His name…leaves a bitter after taste in my mouth. This must not be good."

"Well if you do not know of this Mitosu then you obviously can't help us in that respect."

The storyteller merely nodded his head, "Well I suppose that's true." He paused, glancing back at my hands, "Though I've never seen anything with this direct pattern to it…I would say it's a spell of some sort. A charm if you will."

"A…charm?"

"Yes. I had one similar case to this, though it was long ago, a little over sixteen years ago, back before I left the village of the elves. A man, a human man, came to speak with the elder under orders from the king. He kept the insignia, which was burned into his upper arm, hidden, but he came to me one day having heard of my vast knowledge. His markings had come to him in a similar way as yours had, except for they were purple instead of red…and the words inscribed in the charm were that of wishes to die."

"You…mean…?"

The storyteller nodded his head, "Yes. Whoever it was that had cast that charm upon him wanted him to die. Though I suppose he didn't die immediately, I'm sure he died a few years afterwards. From what I heard from various townspeople he had a wife, an elf, and a young daughter."

He looked past me and out the window, "Which means that they must have been chased from the village shortly after." An uneasy silence filtered through the room, the words hung like weights over us.

The one thing that kept running through my mind was the fact that Raine had said she, along with Genis, was born in Heimdall. But I…there must have been more than one half-elf born in Heimdall at that time though, right?

Yeah, I'm probably just jumping to conclusions. Besides, Raine never talked about her father; she only said things about her mother abandoning them. Not her 'parents'.

Another thing that bothered me was the fact of what my, what these, markings said.

"What do…you said that written in his markings was the wishing for the man to die…?"

"That is correct."

"Then what do my--"

"Yours are in some kind of ancient language. I'm sure only the bearer of the attack could read them."

"You mean you cannot?"

"No, I'm afraid I can't. It's…written in some strange language unlike any that I have seen before. Though some of the characters seem familiar…I'm afraid I cannot read it."

"I…see…"

That in and of itself just made me even more worried. But I couldn't let the others know that. That wasn't my style, after all.

"Heh, well, if you don't know what it says then I guess there's no point in staying here, is there?"

"I suppose not…"

"Then lets go to Exire to meet back up with everyone."

"But…Zelos…are you sure?" Lloyd asked, watching me intently as I slipped back on my gloves for the second time.

"Yes I'm sure. Besides, that Mitosu guy made it obvious that he was after Genis, so he'll probably show up there anyway--as much as I hate saying that."

Lloyd fell silent at this, as did Presea and Regal.

"I see even you use your head sometimes." Kratos muttered from beside the door before stepping through it.

Well it certainly looked like _he_ was worried about something.

I sighed and followed everyone out the door and into the bright afternoon sunlight. I watched as they headed down the pathway, knowing full well that we'd have to backtrack through the whole gorge to get back to the rhieards.

Which made me wonder: Why hadn't we just flown them to the summit?

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**Me: **And there's the end of TU 44

**Feral: **Yes, and you seemed to have ended it on a lighthearted note as well.

**Me: **-nods head- uh-huh, yeah I guess I did. But still…I seriously have to apologize for this being so late. -bows head- if I had known I'd have such serious Internet/computer problems I would've started on this _much_ sooner than I did.

**Feral: **Well there's no point in worrying about that now since you successfully uploaded this chapter, just promise yourself to stop being a procrastinator and work on the next chapter.

**Me: **Yeah that's a good idea. Now then, R&R please! I almost have 200 reviews! -does happy dance- so yeah, please review! That really seriously does make me want to write the next chapter and upload it faster!


	45. Time in Exire: Outfit Troubles

**Me: **Here's the next Chapter of TU!

**April: **Yes that seems to be the case…

**To Understand: Part Forty-five**

**Time in Exire: Outfit Troubles**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews: **

LittleLinor: Heh, yeah, I always wondered why, in ToS, they couldn't just fly to the summit of a mountain or something since it'd obviously be a lot faster. But eh, that's the game for ya. And yeah, Mithos would've been more cunning, but, like in Zelos' case, he's worried (about Genis) and knows that he'd most likely get kicked out (more like get kicked _off_) Exire if he did anything wrong…and yeah, here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**DraNKa-**Ah, sorry for worrying you (about the not updating for two weeks again)! But no I didn't/don't plan on dropping this fic (it's my only really successful one) but if you're wondering when I'm going to update next, just know that when I update my journal on deviant Art it'll have around the time when I'll update next. Also Genis'll get healed in this chapter, but he won't wake up until the next one (or at least that's what I'm hoping). Now then, here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Hiranieas-**Yeah my computer is just, well, being horrible. But it shouldn't act up too much during the week since my sister went back to college on Sunday. Also Mithos' outfit, well, it's more _cool_ than cute but I like it and I'm sure you'll like it too! Okay then, here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Alaia Skyhawk**- wow…you're good. You guessed at who was the cause behind those odd markings on that nameless mans arm (and you got who the man was right as well). But yeah, Pronyma put those markings on Kloitz cuz if he died then Feral would've automatically gone to Genis--and Genis is an easier target to beat than Kloitz is (I'm _really_ trying not to spoil anything about who Feral is…but it's so hard). Now here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Viaroua Fox-**Don't worry about not noticing the update, it's hard to notice them anyway, and I'm just glad you reviewed. Also Genis will be healed in this chapter, but he won't wake up until at least the next chapter (which I seriously am planning on making him wake up since I don't like him being asleep for so long either). As always, thanks for the review and here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**April**: So this is the chapter most focused on what's going on in Exire?

**Me: **-nods head- yeah it is. Basically Maria goes to tell everyone about Mithos, and then, of course, the questions start.

**April: **But will Genis wake up at all during this chapter?

**Me: **I'm planning on making him wake up near the end, if there's time to squeeze it in. I also have to do Raine's POV about going to Exire and stuff…

**April: **Ah I see. Okay then, Harmony283 doesn't own ToS or any of its characters, she just uses them for a means of entertainment via this fanfic. Of course any OC's that show up, as well as the plot, rightfully belong to her so please don't steal.

**Authors Note: **Hah…and again, I highly doubt they'd think of stealing the OC's/Plot. Ah, well anyway, in this chapter Mithos gets asked about what happened to Genis, to which he, of course, doesn't answer. He also learns of an elven woman who went mentally insane. Later on, he gets dragged to a clothes shop, to buy a new outfit. Meanwhile, Raine, April, Yuan, Sheena, and Colette are riding to Exire. But the only thing on Raine's mind would be Genis, and if he's all right.

**April: **Um, Genis will get better won't he? And isn't his mother in Exire? What if he meets her when he wakes up?

**Me: **We'll cross that bridge when we come to it…so don't worry so much about it.

**April: **Okay…

**---------------------------------------**

Mithos' POV

I watched as a very familiar looking magic circle appeared overtop Genis' still form. Only the occasional breath from the young boy showed me that he was actually alive. As the light ebbed away, Genis seemed to stir, mumbling something intangible before sinking his head back against the pillow--obviously falling back asleep.

I heard Belle sigh and watched as she stood up, shaking, and turned towards us. She gave us a smile, "There, I think I've gotten at least the majority of the wound healed. But…" she glanced over at him, "I don't think it…would be a good idea to move him."

"You aren't the first one to say that. But I think…I think it's safe enough to say that we'll actually agree to it this time."

"A-agree to it?"

"We?"

"I mean Genis' other friends and me --and older sister. We were told when we got him healed the first time that it'd be best if he didn't move. Of course, that was back in Heimdall and, well, stuff happened and we had to leave in a hurry…so yeah, he never _got_ that chance to just rest. And now he'll actually get a chance to."

"I-I see. But, ah, his wounds…they practically opened back up, and there's a relatively new wound on his chest…no amount of travel could have caused that to happen."

I looked away, unable to stand the curious gaze she had placed on me.

"You know I said I couldn't tell you…but I…" I looked back over at her, "I guess I can say just this bit, but the reason why we had to leave Heimdall so quickly is because…because Genis got kidnapped again. That's how, I'm assuming, his other wound was created."

"I…see. So you were with his friends searching for him?"

I shook my head, "No, his friends had to go do something else, and they trusted me enough to go look for him. By the time I got to where he was, he had passed out. His friends arrived a little while after and they decided to let me take him here--since this is the safest place for half-elves."

Belle bowed her head, nodding it in obvious understanding. But the thing I didn't expect was when I felt the Mayors hand on my shoulder.

"Wha--?"

He smiled, "Belle, it's all right, you can leave now. I would…like to ask Mithos some questions. Besides, I believe it's time for you to visit Virginia anyway."

Belle looked from the mayor to me, and then back again, looking confused. She opened her mouth, but quickly closed it, smiling and bowing her head before walking out of the room.

"Virginia? Is she the--"

He nodded his head, "Yes, she's the elven woman I spoke of earlier. Now then," he closed his eyes, as if contemplating something, "I would like to…ask you something."

I nodded my head, "As long as it's not about what happened to Genis, then I'm fine."

"Okay then, the first thing I would like to ask is this--what is that boys last name?"

I blinked, "What--? Why do you…?" He gave me a stern look, which sorely reminded me that I was, in their eyes, just a child--meaning I couldn't contradict or question what they said, "his last name is Sage."

I watched the man's expression, wanting to see how he reacted--whether or not he had guessed right about Genis or not.

"I…see. Does he have any…older siblings?"

I nodded my head, "Yes, he has one--a sister named Raine Sage."

He flinched at this, eyes widening ever so slightly.

Now I just _had_ to ask--I mean, with such an obvious reaction as that he _must _know something about them…or at least he knows something about Raine. Then again, I do remember Raine saying she and Genis were born here…and she mentioned about how her parents--more like her mother--abandoned them at the otherworldly Gate…

But…

"What's wrong? You're acting like you've heard Raine's name before."

"I-I no I haven't…"

Now it was my turn to glare, "Yes you do--stop lying. What do you know about them?"

"And why do you want to know? Yes I can understand that you're good friends with Genis, so you--"

"I don't know anything, or rather, _Genis_ doesn't know anything. The only thing I know is that they were abandoned by their mother at the otherworldly gate when Genis was, well, a 'newborn'."

"She did _not_ do that out of hatred for them though!" the mayor snapped back, only to realize a little too late what he had said--or let slip.

I just smirked, "So you _do_ know something about them. Well? Aren't you going to tell me?"

"You aren't Genis."

"But Genis isn't awake now. I'd prefer to be the one who tells him anything like this--or better yet, wait till Raine gets here. But I don't know exactly when they'll get here…so go ahead, you can tell me anything you want to."

The taller man sighed, running his hands through his short-cropped brown hair, "Fine, fine. I guess I should start with their parents names…"

"And their names would be…?"

"V--"

He was cut short as a very loud squealing sound echoed in from outside the doorway only seconds before the actual door was thrown open. And there, standing in the entrance was Maria. Behind her were, what I was assuming, the entire population of girls in Exire.

Oh great

---------------------------------------

Raines POV

I stare down at the seemingly endless expanse of water beneath me, gulping nervously as the waves crashed over each other, rather unpleasant memories flooding my mind.

This wasn't good. 12 years later and I was _still_ afraid of water. I really had to get over this fright, if only for the fact that it's, well, embarrassing.

Flashes of memory, from the time with those, ugh, washtubs, to any time we rode a boat/were by the ocean. They always gave me strange stares, wondering why I was so afraid of the water.

I--

Nearly jumped off my Rheiard when I felt someone grip my shoulder. I turned to look to my side, only to see April giving me a concerned look.

"Are you okay Raine?" she asked, even sounding like she was worried.

I just nodded my head, "Yes I'm fine…don't worry."

"O-Okay…I was just thinking…the ocean is right below us and I _know_ you aren't that fond of water…"

"not fond of water?" Sheena asked, pulling her Rheiard up to the other side of mine, Colette pulled hers up beside hers.

"Is that why you always avoided getting wet when we were at the beach?"

I sighed, well, there really isn't any point of hiding it any longer…

"Yes I…don't like the water. Why did you think I stayed away from the water?"

"Because, um," Colette laughed nervously, "Well, you have such pale skin that I thought you sunburned easily. Then again, Genis has pale skin too…so that doesn't really work…"

I smiled and shook my head, "Well that _is_ true. Did everyone else think that as well?"

Sheena shook her head, "No…well, besides Lloyd and Colette here, who'll believe anything."

Colette made a pouting face, but didn't disagree with her.

"I-I see…"

"What are you three talking about? I would think that you would want to hurry to Exire…"

I jumped once more at the sound of Yuans voice, turning to face him only to see the annoyed look on his face. Well of course he would be annoyed, he had to _fly_ to Exire, whereas we got to use Rhieards, which were much faster than his means of travel.

"Oh…right, ah, I'm sorry…it's my fault for stopping. Um, let's get going, I'm worried about Mithos and Genis now…"

"Yes…I hope they're okay…especially Genis…"

Sheena nodded her head in agreement, "Yeah, and I need to make my pact with Maxwell…" she seemed nervous as she said this though.

"Are you nervous?"

"Don't worry Sheena! I'm sure you'll do well!"

Sheena smiled, "Ah, thank you…it's just…Maxwell is supposed to be the strongest of the Summon Spirits, and not having the others here worries me."

"Hmph, I'm sure they'll meet us in Exire soon…if not I can always be of assistance. Besides, Mithos said he wanted to speak with Maxwell, but only after you make a pact with him. So it's best that, after we find out how Genis and Mithos are, we make that pact as soon as possible."

Hmm, well he was right about one thing. He _would_ be useful in making Maxwells pact. After all he was obviously stronger than Lloyd, Zelos, and possibly even Kratos. But something told me it wouldn't be that easy.

"Let's just worry about getting there, like you said, and seeing how Genis' wounds are."

"And Mithos must've flown there, since he didn't take a Rhieard. So we need to make sure he's okay." April added in, still having the same worried look on her face.

"Yes…I have to thank him for going through so much for Genis, and I need to ask him something."

"Ask him what?" Colette and Sheena both asked at the same time, giving me curious looks, to which I just shook my head.

"Don't worry about it."

"I'll say this again, are we done talking? Exire does move, you know, so it could be getting further and further away as we speak."

That was true.

"Fine, fine, we're done. Y'know, you're starting to act a lot like Lloyd when he's impatient."

"Hmph, like I'd ever act like him." Yuan muttered, turning away and taking off once more.

"I don't think you should've said that, Sheena."

Sheena shrugged, "Does it matter? I was just stating what I thought…"

"Let's get going, like he says, after all, he is right."

Sheena, Colette and April nodded, turning back and following me as I sped off towards the direction Yuan had been going. I could hardly see him now, but then again he _was_ wearing blue…and the sun was reflecting off the ocean, making it harder to see.

Wait, why am I worrying about this in the first place? I sighed, shaking my head before focusing on the scenery in front of me.

"Please let Genis be alright…"

-------------------------------------

Mithos POV

I blinked, watching as the girls filed into the room, suddenly feeling _very_ claustrophobic. I honestly hadn't thought that this room was this small…

And Genis still needed to heal…

But why were these girls here in the first place? And the looks on their faces…have me worried…

"Maria…? What's the meaning of this?" the Mayor asked, the look on his face showing me that he too didn't expect this to happen.

"Ah, um," Maria looked down, obviously blushing, "w-well I told everyone that we had v-visitors and they, um, wanted to…meet them. So…"

Suddenly a girl with blond hair and green eyes pushed her out of the way, walking over to me with a wide smile on her face.

"So you're Mithos?"

I nodded my head.

"Wow it's so nice to meet you!" She then turned to look at Genis, who was still asleep in the bed, and I was actually happy he was. He really didn't need to wake up to all this commotion.

"And that's Genis?"

I nodded my head again.

"I-I see. Hmm," she looked around the room, "This won't do…and I'm sure if you've lived all your life on the surface you'd want to look around town…and your friend needs to rest so…come on!"

She gripped my hand, quite literally pulling me out the door, past the crowd of girls.

And I had to ask myself, why didn't I do anything? She was getting annoying, and I really didn't want to leave Genis. I wanted to be the first person he saw when he got up.

"Um…"

"Don't worry! There's one place I wanna show you…and, oh! Oh! A present, I want to give you a present!"

"Present?" Now I was confused. She dragged me out to show me around Exire, and now she wanted to give me a present.

"Yes! Yes!" she giggled, "I know you're going to like it! It's also way better than what you have on now."

So she was giving me a present…and it was a new set of clothes? I glanced down at the ones I had on and, well, I had to agree with her. I really did need a new change of clothes. The white shirt I usually wore was ripped in places, and covered with either dirt or dried blood. My green pants weren't in much better condition, and neither were my shoes.

"Ah-ha! Here it is!" She stopped tugging my arm, and pointed to a stone house on the far side of one of the upper platforms, "This is the perfect place! Come on! Come on! You can choose what outfit would be best for you! And you can also choose one for Genis!"

She grabbed my arm again, or at least she tried to. But I moved aside.

"Don't worry, I can walk on my own. And I agree with you, I _do_ need a new outfit."

She just stared at me for a few seconds, before turning around and rushing up the stairs, a plastic-like smile on her face. I guess I must've hurt her by that statement somehow.

Wow girls in Exire sure were sensitive. They certainly wouldn't last long on the surface, in Tethe'alla or Sylvarant, if they continued on like this.

I followed the blond girl up the stairs and into the small stone house. I had to admit, from the outside it didn't look like anything special, but when I went inside, it was completely different.

For one there was fabric hanging on the walls, some were brightly colored while others were plain. Also, sewing machines--there were about three of them lined up on the far side wall from what I could see--could be seen, as well as pre-made outfits littering every clear surface, or surface that would have been clear, in the room.

"Oh my…a customer?" A weak voice asked from somewhere amidst the scattered clothing. Then I realized it, there was a spinning wheel, a very old wooden spinning wheel, covered in a type of brown cloth. A woman with brown hair, held back in a ponytail, and hazel eyes sat in the stool next to it, looking rather tired.

"Mandy! Mandy! Yes a customer, I brought you a customer! Um, well, I'd like to pick out a present for him, but I…don't know what he likes so I'm going to make him choose!"

"Him?" the woman, now known as Mandy, gave me a strange look, but just smiled at me, "Ah, I see. Well, since you're going to choose then I guess you can pick whatever outfit suits you."

Well that was…odd. I looked around the room, it was so cluttered that I couldn't tell what was an outfit and what was just, well, a piece of fabric. Yegh, this girl is really messy…for a shop owner anyway.

"Oh! Oh! I'll help I'll help!" The blond quickly bounced, if that was even possible, over a pile of cloth, towards me, a grin on her face.

She suddenly dove into a pile of clothing, pulling out various shirts and pants and…even a cape. Wait, that cape would look good on Genis…

"Wait a sec."

The girl looked up, "Hmm?"

"That…" I pointed to the cape--well, it was more like a cloak than a cape--that she had just thrown. She just blinked and looked at it.

"What about it?"

"I think Genis would like that."

A huge grin formed on the girls face and she folded the cloak neatly, "Okay then!" she turned back to Mandy, "We're also looking for an outfit for a boy named Genis, who came here along with Mithos, is that okay?"

Mandy just nodded her head, "Yes that's fine. It's wonderful that we have visitors. It's really rare, actually. But…Amy…"

"Yeah?" the blond responded, looking confused.

"Please stop throwing things everywhere. I'm not trying to be mean, or rude, but that's how this place got in such a mess anyway."

Amy nodded her head, "Okay!" But she didn't listen and went back to searching in a pile of clothes. Mandy just sighed, shaking her head from side to side.

"Why did I ever hire her." She muttered, but Amy didn't hear, or didn't care, I couldn't tell.

About fifteen minutes later and another item, or rather a shirt and a pair of pants, caught my eye.

The shirt was red, which made it stick out, and quite long. It was sleeve-less and had a high collar, almost like a turtle neck. The pants were black and flared out a bit at the ends. Of course, Amy just continued to toss things aside, so I quickly grabbed them, watching as piles of clothing were made from other piles.

"Um…you can stop now. I found my outfit…"

Amy froze, glancing up at me with another goofy smile on her face.

"Okay! Why don't you go try it on? Meanwhile, I'll look for something that'll match this cape that you wanna give Genis!"

Well that didn't seem like a safe idea, but…but it wasn't like I could do anything about it. After all, Mandy seemed to own the store and she also seemed like she knew what she was doing.

But where do I…?

"The changing rooms are over there…if you can make it." Mandy said, pointing across the room, a worried smile on her face.

I nodded my head, "Thanks." Then I moved around, or through, various pairs of clothing and sewing materials.

Though I highly doubt that this was all Amy's fault.

"I'll try to help Amy, or rather _stop_ her. I'm afraid she'll hurt herself, or tear something…" I turned around and watched as she walked over to where Amy was 'digging'. She placed a hand on her shoulder, causing the blond to stop.

"Let me help."

"Okay! More people means a better chance at finding something anyway!" Amy grinned once more before going back to searching through the fabric, this time at a slower pace. I sighed, well at least she had stopped her, and continued my walk towards the back.

After pushing aside more fabric, and nearly stepping on a stray needle caught in a piece of fabric, I made my way to the small enclosure.

I quickly opened the door, hoping that the room inside wasn't as bad as the one outside. Thankfully it wasn't, but there were still a few items of clothing hanging off hooks on the wall. There was also a mirror hanging next to me on the wall, though it looked like it had seen better days.

Now that I looked at myself in a mirror, I realized exactly how bad I must've looked. Now I was glad no one pointed it out. Then again, that's probably why they asked what happened in the first place...though people don't just come flying through the sky and landing in Exire on a daily basis so…

I shook my head again, looking down at the clothing in my hands. I might as well get changed now, after all Amy was nice enough to, well, to let me choose my own outfit. It still unnerved me that she talked so much like she knew me.

Then again, some people are like that.

I sighed, unbuttoning my shirt and letting it fall to the ground, I looked back in the mirror at my Cruxis Crystal. It seemed to be unharmed, which was good, but…but the feelings I had towards it were different now. I used to think that I couldn't live without it—which technically I couldn't, or at least I shouldn't be able to live without it. But now…now that I realized that I was missing so much, missing so much of the feelings, the warmth, and…and everything…it made me want to destroy it right here and now.

But I couldn't do that. It could possibly be the only way I could beat Mitosu. And…and it wasn't like I could just _throw_ it away. That's like asking Lloyd, or Genis, to throw away their Exspheres. An important life…a life I couldn't forget…

I quickly slipped the red sleeveless shirt over my head, tugging it down to see how far it fell on me. That just so happened to be just beneath my waist, closer to mid-thigh. I tugged at the strands of hair that had gotten caught, and, once they were freed, ran my fingers through them.

I quickly cast aside my shoes, untying the tight belt around my waist, letting my pants fall, quickly grabbing the black ones and tugging them up shortly after. Well, everything _seemed_ to fit okay…

I turned to look at myself in the mirror, yes it was a 'girly' thing to do, but I really couldn't care less, smiling. This outfit seemed to stretch with me, instead of just staying still and rippling like normal fabric would. It was almost like armor…except it wasn't.

A sudden loud knock, coming from the door to the shop, caused me to jump and open the door quickly, peering out over the messy floor towards where Amy and Mandy had been.

There, in the doorway, was Belle, and she seemed worried.

"Where did you take Mithos? I saw you come this way…"

"Oh! Oh! He's getting cha—ah! Mithos! Good you're done changing…Belle wants to talk to you! Come on! Come on!" Amy beckoned for me to walk forward, and I did, moving forward carefully, also noticing that, because of the slight flare of the pants I now wore made them seem longer, falling around my ankles, and making it more likely that I would trip.

"Yes? What…is it?" I asked when I reached the three women. Belle seemed tired, and a bit startled, but smiled and nodded her head in approval.

"You look nice, Mithos. I…just wanted to tell you…"

"Is Genis up?"

She shook her head, "No, but there's something…something I _noticed_. I'd like to speak with you in private, if you're done here."

I nodded my head, "Ah, okay…sure. Let me just get my shoes…"

"Oh! Oh! Don't worry! Here, these match your outfit better!"

Amy turned to face Mandy, who had a box in her hand, taking it from her and ripping off the top, grabbing the contents inside and shoving them in my hand.

It was one pair of black shoes, almost like hiking boots…except not.

"Um…"

"Come on! Come on! Put them on and go! It seems important anyway!" She tugged me over to, what I assumed, was a chair. She then turned back to Mandy who was shaking her head.

"What?"

"Oh—ah, I think he can put those shoe's on himself…why don't you go out shopping? I need more thread anyway…"

Yeah right. She probably had some hiding under all these clothes. But I could see her point…

"Okay!"

And at least Amy believed her. She even grabbed a basket.

"I'll buy lots and lots of thread so that we won't _ever_ run out!"

"Yes…that would be nice…" though looking at Mandy's expression, it definitely _wasn't_ nice.

After Amy left, running down the flight of stairs, and off to another platform, I put on the boots, lacing them up quickly before standing and walking over to where Belle was standing.

She gripped her staff even tighter, looking away from me and then back again.

"Okay, I'm ready to go now."

She nodded her head, "O-Okay…well, I guess I should tell you why I…seem so desperate. But it's about Genis."

"What about Genis? Is it about how he got hurt? I thought I said I wouldn't tell you about that."

"It's not about that." She shook her head.

"I—I'll go to the back room to get your clothes. They still might be able to be saved." Mandy murmured, bowing and rushing to the back rooms, leaving us alone at the entrance.

"Then what is it about?"

"I think it'd be better if we talked…elsewhere. I…I also want to show you something."

I nodded my head and followed the half-elven healer out of the room.

What could she want to tell me? And what did she want to know?

----------------------------------------

**Amy & Mandy: **Okay then, these are the two main OC's in this chapter. They're, as you know, the two associated with the fabric store/textile store. Mandy is in charge of making the outfits, whereas Amy runs errands/gets customers. Amy's name, as well as her attitude, is based off a friend of mine. Mandy's name, well, some of you (those who've looked at my profile/know me on dA) can probably guess at who she's named after. If you can't I can tell you.

**Mithos' Outfit: **The outfit Mithos wears is brought to you by LittleLinor on dA--and soon to be here as well! She also owns Genis' outfit, which'll be showing up in the next chapter (hopefully). The only thing about Mithos' outfit that I do own are the boots he wears.

**Me: **And that's the end of TU 45. I have to say that this took longer than I thought.

**April: **Not to mention that you got serious writers block halfway through (at the beginning of Raine's POV).

**Me: **Yeah, and I actually forgot Colette was in Raine's half of the group so I had to change that. But meh, it's out now. I can't guarantee when the next chapter'll be out (with school stuff an' all) but hopefully it'll be sometime next week.

**April: **Yes hopefully. And hopefully this case of writers block won't last much longer.

**Me: **Yeah…now then, R&R please! I only have 4 more reviews left until I reach the 200 reviews mark! –does happy dance-

**April: **-joins in happy dance/drags Feral out from hiding place to join in as well-

**Feral: **L-let me go!


	46. Time in Exire: The Past

**Me: **And here's Part 46! This is about mid-way through Genis and Mithos' stay in Exire, I think.

**Feral: **Yes, it seems to be that way…or at least if you reach a certain point in this chapter then it'll be considered half-way done. But then you'll have half-way to go.

**Me: **Yeah that's true, though I'm still not too sure. I don't want to make any predictions but as things are looking now, this is the halfway point. Also, just as a little side note, this fic has 6820 hits! When it gets to 7000 then I'll have a present for the reviewers, or at least a LINK to the present for the reviewers (those on dA can probably already guess what it is, since it's the only original story of mine that I have up).

**To Understand Part Forty-six**

**Time in Exire: The Past**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews: (over 200--yay!)  
**

**Hiranieas-**Yup I updated, I had a bit of a writers block, which is why Raine's POV was cut short, and I kinda-sorta slacked off a bit. But also, if you wanna see a version of Mithos' and Genis' new outfits, I have it in my scraps section on dA (just check my homepage and go to the scraps section, you should see it immediately). But that's just a rough draft, I'm planning on inking it soon…when I have the time. Now then, here's the next chapter, enjoy!

**LittleLinor-**Huzzah, you're now an official member of FF! congrats! I was actually thinking of making Mithos run, just like you said…but then I couldn't think up a plausible way for him to get his new outfit. As for his belt, no I didn't forget it, he'll get it later (around the time he gets his necklace), so don't worry. Yeah I felt sorry for making Mandy have to work with Amy…but, well, my friend wanted to be mentioned and when I told her what characters (OC wise) were going to be in the next chapter, she immediately agreed. Though she is a lot better than she sounds, and she's really sweet (guys don't like her though, since she's really talkative). Also can you guess who Mandy is named after (I'll give you a hint, look at what's written under my name on dA and then you'll be able to guess right). Now then, here's the next chapter!

**Takokinoko-**Ah don't worry about being busy, it happens to everyone. Heh and you have LittleLinor to thank for the outfit designs, and yes, from the picture I drew of Mithos in the outfit (it's him and every other OC in TU—though it's in the scraps section now cuz it's not inked or edited in any way) he does look hot. And you're right about him wearing white and it making him look like a girl…as for the color scheme for Genis' outfit it's Black (pants), white (shirt/tunic) blue (ribbon on tunic, buttons on cloak) and grey (cloak). Here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**DraNKa-**Ah, yeah, last chapter was long, in regards to the whole me having the thing called writers block…and I'm glad it saves me, but kinda…? Hopefully since this update was early it should help with you not deciding to release your 'fangirl powers' on me, right? I hope so... Also yes, Genis will wake up in this chapter, and yes Mithos will be the first person to see him (the Mayor will be collectively absent). Also you're the 200th reviewer! (and thanks for the fanart)

**Alaia Skyhawk-**A group of fangirls at the door? That…would've been bad (for Mithos anyway). But then again, it would've been funny all the same. And you're interested in who Amy and Mandy are? Or did you mean you think you know who Mandy's named after (that kinda confused me on how you worded it)? Well, anyway, here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Feral: **Chapter 46…now only 4 chapters to TU 50…

**Me: **Yeah, that's right. Heh, that makes me excited. And with over 200 reviews…that makes me twice as happy!

**Feral: **I'm sure it does. But of course, you don't own ToS or any of its characters. Though fortunately enough you do own me, April, and any other OC's that appear in this fanfic--and you even own the plot.

**Authors Note: **You don't have to sound so sarcastic about it. But anyway, during the last chapter Mithos got a new outfit, and shortly after left with Belle to talk about something regarding Genis. What is it and what does it have to do with that insane elven woman? And will Genis ever wake up?

**Feral: **He'd better, or else I'll be in big trouble.

**Me: **I know, I know…

-----------------------------------------

I followed Belle farther and farther away from the center of the floating city, wondering exactly what she had to tell me. Or rather, what it had to do with Genis. But she also wanted to know something about Genis…so we both wanted to know something.

I guess the only way to solve that is to answer whatever questions we have until we get the desired answers. Besides, Belle looked a little too worried for this to be something small.

I turned to look at the nearby surroundings, watching as people walked by, some carrying bags, others toting small children along the stone pathways. I even noticed the market place a few platforms away. It hadn't moved since the last time I had been here, but it had, well, 'grown up' to say the least. It made me wonder how they built some of these things…or did they do trade with some humans?

I mean, I knew now that not all humans hated half-elves…and not all half-elves hated humans. If that was the case, then it would explain how they were able to expand even with the limited amount of space these platforms gave them.

I turned back to face in front, noticing that Belle seemed to be slowing down. I also noticed that we were coming to yet another stone stair case. This one led up farther than the previous ones, and no one seemed to be going up them, or coming down them.

If I remembered correctly, from back when Exire was actually located on the ground, there was a small graveyard/church on the outskirts of the town. But…but back then it was on the east side of the village, so that it could watch the sunrise, not on the North side.

So where were we--

"We're here." Belle whispered, turning back to face me as we reached the end of the stairs. I looked around, noticing that hardly anything, except for a broken house and a few trees and a well, were located on this platform. There was also another small staircase leading to a platform down below. Which had a single stone house on it, with what seemed to be a running well, a picnic table, and a small garden next to it.

"Where is this?" I asked, turning to face the healer again.

"This is…this is the far side of Exire. It's technically not in Exire anymore…or at least we don't consider it to be." Belle turned to look down at the stone house, "That is where the elven woman Virginia lives. I'm sure the Mayor has told you about her…_condition_?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah, he said she…was mentally ill." I don't know why, but I didn't want to say crazy, or insane. Call it a gut feeling but I felt like I would get to know this 'Virginia' person very soon.

"Yes that's correct. She…she became ill due to the loss of her husband."

"Her husband…? He was murdered?"

Belle shook her head, "No. Or at least, he wasn't directly."

"Then he was killed by a spell?"

She shook her head again, "Someone placed a curse on him some time when he was younger…or at least that's what I could tell from when they brought the body here. There were purple markings on his left arm. It was almost like…a tattoo. I didn't understand it at the time, but it was a curse. A curse that caused the wearer to die slowly."

That was a sickening thought, "so he was murdered indirectly…and because of that Virginia…?"

"Yes, she went insane, to put it bluntly. That and she…no. I wanted to ask you a few things before I go any farther."

That right there made me even more suspicious, but I guess I could tell her what she wanted to know…

"Okay then, what is it that you want to know? I mean, you seemed to act like this was important, or at least something about Genis was important."

Belle nodded her head once more, gripping her staff tightly, "Yes…I wanted to know, and this may seem a bit strange, but trust me please and answer as honestly as you can."

I blinked, "O-okay…well, ask away."

"What is your relation to Genis?"

"M-my relation…? " That took me by surprise. What did…what did that have to do with…?

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You mean you won't tell me?"

I shook my head, "No, that's not it. I just wanted to know…it just came out of the blue an' all…"

"I just do. A-and…it's vital to what I'm going to tell you. So if you don't want to know anything else then don't tell me. If you do, tell me."

"I…fine. He's…he's a dear friend to me. That's why his sister and his friends entrusted me with his care."

"I see. Okay then, it seems that I can tell you."

"You can?"

"Yes, because, since you were entrusted with his care, you wouldn't tell him something that would hurt him."

I nodded my head, "Well you're right about that. But what part of this information would…cause him to react…that way?"

Now I had a sick feeling in my stomach. And I felt dizzy, which I'm sure isn't due to fatigue from flying all the way here from the Tower of Salvation, or rather, it's remains.

"It's who Virginia is in regards to him…and about his childhood. I'm sure you already know that Genis was…abandoned, didn't you?"

I nodded my head, "His sister mentioned it a while ago. But…how do you know?"

"I know because that was one of the first things Virginia said after her husband died. Her exact words were 'First I abandon my own children, and now Kloitz, my last hope, dies?'"

I froze.

That…that meant…that meant that Virginia was--

"That means…Virginia…Virginia is Genis' m-mother…?" So he _did_ have someone alive after all. Not that their only living family member was suited to take care of him.

"Yes. She is. I--there is more, she had a diary, but the Mayor still has it. I think it would be best if Raine picked it up and was told about this instead."

I nodded my head, "So he's going to be left in the dark."

"What?"

"N-nothing. It's just…surprising. Genis doesn't know that his mother is still alive, and Raine doesn't either. So I guess when Raine gets here you'll tell her?"

"Yes, that's the plan…upon hearing that he did indeed have an older sister. Genis' last name is Sage, correct?"

I nodded my head once more.

"Then I think this…" she moved over to a nearby tree, walking behind it before beckoning over towards me. I followed her behind the rather old looking tree, and gasped when I saw what was behind it.

It was a…a grave stone. It was like a sun dial, except for it had words inscribed in it in ancient elven.

"Many people here are illiterate in the ancient language. But I'm sure Raine could read it."

So Raine was the only one who mattered here? What, did Kloitz and Virginia think that Genis wouldn't live? Or was Raine just the favorite? Heh, who was I kidding? That was obvious. Especially since, for the first eleven years of her life she was considered the favorite and treated as an only child would.

Not that that had been easy, by any means.

I guess they also assumed Genis wouldn't be as smart as Raine. And I have to agree, Raine seems to know a great deal more about the world than Genis, but that came from age and her love of knowledge. Genis loved to study and read, especially read, but he didn't so much like archeology as he did other things.

Like he loved learning how to play the flute, and he loved to cook, something Raine probably would never achieve.

It…it hurt to hear of him placed so low, called inferior to someone else, even though it was painstakingly true.

And I had just promised I'd keep this secret…the secret that someone in his family besides Raine was still alive. Yes it would probably cause him to break down, and it'd do some damage for sure, since Virginia probably didn't remember them, but he had every right to know…

"Mithos? Is everything…is everything okay? You've been staring at the grave stone for a while now…"

I snapped away from my thoughts, looking over at Belle, who had a concerned look on her face. I merely shook my head, "No, no, it's fine. I just…feel like I've seen these types of letters before."

"I…see. Ah--the sun's getting lower in the sky! The Mayor's probably worried about you! Why don't we go back now?"

I nodded my head, following behind her numbly.

It looks like our trip to Exire wasn't going to be as peaceful as I thought.

-----------------------------------------

Genis' POV

_I blinked a few times, looking around at my surroundings, knowing almost immediately that I was in a dream…or a dream of sorts. Well, the main thing that gave this all away was where I was standing. I knew for a fact that I was, most likely, in a bed in Exire getting some rest._

_  
So where…? _

I looked to my left, which had a stone platform, much like the one in Asgard, but with three stone pillars in the center. In those pillars was etched some sort of language and then three holes.

_A sudden 'crack' sound made me whirl around, staring behind me. _

Which I now wish I hadn't.

_A girl, no older than eighteen with light blue hair, blue eyes and pointed elven ears, flew across the dirt road, landing against a tree. But she wasn't the only one here. Another figure, this one was a woman also, stood on the edge of the stone platform with a smirk on her face._

_  
Why did that remind me of Feral? _

I shook my head, watching as yet another figure, this one a boy with red-brown hair, and red eyes wearing a red shirt and white pants with some sort of badge pinned to the left side of his shirt.

_"Fae! Fae are you--" _

"D-don't come near me…" the blue haired girl whimpered, shaking her head as the older boy made his way toward her.

_  
"No! What did…what did you do to her?!? Y-you monster!" Another girl shouted, this one had pale green hair up in thin pigtails and brown eyes cried out, running to join the red-head._

_"I am not a monster. I merely show you that Fae can be defeated. If she dies her soul will be cast into the heavens, saving this land while the nine of you take your places as the Gods and Goddesses of the elements, forever to be enshrined in the temples of this world!" _

"B-but…"

"You should have known that from the beginning, when you were first chosen for this part, Prince Alexander Yuari Sakura." _Now the mysterious woman, who I still couldn't see well, sounded sarcastic. _

_"Wait…what? So Alex…you really are the prince of--" _

"No I'm not. You're lying. How could you know who I am anyway…" Alex muttered, looking away.

_Yup he definitely was lying. He was the prince of, well, whatever he was the prince of._

_"P-Please…Alex…continue with the ritual. A-and carry me there…I still want to do something…for this place." _

"You're an idiot. You heard this lady right? You'll die and we'll…we'll live on forever, or at least until someone else like you arrives."

"But I would have…died anyway…"

Alex made a face, "Fine, if this is what you really want…I'll help you." But he didn't look the least bit happy about it.

_He turned to face the seven other people present, "Okay…you heard her. Get to your stations." He then looked back down at Fae, "I'll help you read the transcripts…okay?" _

Fae nodded her head, smiling, "Tha-thank…you."

…

The sound of a door opening was the first sound I heard as I slowly regained consciousness. I didn't…I didn't hurt as much as I had before. But I could tell I still needed to be healed fully.

Then I heard voices. The one I recognized the most was Mithos', which made me smile. I wanted to sit up, to show them that I was awake, but I felt too…too tired and weak to do that.

Thankfully Mithos noticed.

"Wha…? Genis? Genis' awake!" He sounded so happy, like this was the best news in the world to him. I felt pressure at the lower end of the bed, meaning Mithos probably sat down.

I slowly opened my eyes, trying to adjust them to the sunshine filtering through the windows. After all, Exire was closer to the sun, meaning it was closer to the sun.

I heard another door close, and suddenly felt alone, well, not _alone_, since Mithos was here, but alone as in it was just the two of us.

I blinked, and tried to look around, the sunlight in the windows still making it hard to see.

"I…I'm so glad. I was so worried about you." Mithos sounded breathless, like he had been running.

But why?

"M-Mithos…?"

"Yes, I'm right here." He grips my hand, and suddenly his face comes into view. He's smiling but…something seems different about him.

It…he was wearing something red…

"W-what are…y-you wearing…?"

Mithos blinked, then his smile widened, "Oh this? It's a new outfit that I received as a gift. I picked it out myself though, so it's more like half a gift."

"I-I see…"

"I'm glad you're okay though." Now he was at eye level with me, a smile still plastered on his face, though there seemed to be…something else…

"Did you have a good sleep? You look worried."

"M-me? Worried? I should be a-asking you."

He shook his head, "of course I'd be worried. I was worried about _you_."

This made me blush, which made Mithos laugh, well not laugh, it was more like a chuckle than a laugh.

"You're blushing…"

I looked away, "S-so…? Um, but who gave you that outfit?"

"a girl named Amy dragged me to a shop that had an assortment of clothes. Which reminds me, Mandy, the woman who owns the shop, said that you could have an outfit too…and she's probably going to bring it over soon."

"I-o-okay…that sounds great! I can't wait to see it!" I propped myself up on my elbows, smiling at Mithos, who smiled back, squeezing my hand a bit more.

Suddenly the image from my dream, of that girl Fae, popped into my mind, making me flinch.

"Genis? A-are you okay?"

I shook my head.

"Should I call Belle…?"

"Ah—no, I don't mean no as in I'm hurt or anything…I mean, well, um, y-you…you know about Feral right?"

Mithos nodded his head, "Yes…she's that girl that almost took over your body in Heimdall, and yet she isn't. She's also the one who apparently gave me back my Cruxis Crystal when we…were caught in that weird dream-like place."

"That wasn't a dream."

"What?"

"That was the past, or rather, _someone's _past."

"But how can that be possible?"

"Feral told me it was, for me. And you've already broken some boundaries, because of the whole splitting the worlds an' stuff, so you apparently qualify for that sort of thing as well."

"I…that's disturbing, but why did we…why were we thrown into that persons past anyway? And whose past was it?"

I shook my head, "I'm not really sure. The farther away we got from Feral, the farther our connection got, and I couldn't contact her anymore."

"So Feral's still in Venheim?"

"Yes."

"Then I guess we have no choice but to go back there. I mean, she's important isn't she? She's the reason why Mitosu and Pronyma want you, right?"

Wow, he's good.

"Yeah, that's right."

"I _knew_ it. But that doesn't matter now. What does me having to know about Feral? Did you have another dream of the past again?"

"Sorta. It was more like a fragment of one."

"and…?"

I sighed, "I didn't really understand it, and the place it took place in didn't look familiar, just like last time. Which makes me think it took place in that place they call Reti'thera, not that that's important."

"Not in particular. So what was this dream about?"

"Well…it had a girl named Fae in it, she looked about Sheena's age, or a little younger. She was fighting this woman, but she lost. She then asked this other guy, he was called Alex, and was obviously someone important, to carry her to this weird stone monument thing. There was also something about them turning into the Gods/Goddesses of the elements…and something about temples. Or them being held inside temples until another person like Fae came. Oh, and then Fae had to have Alex help her read something…I think…I think she died though. The woman she fought up against said she would."

Mithos seemed to just be staring off into space. He would've continued staring, or thinking, if the door hadn't suddenly burst open…revealing a girl with yellow hair and blue eyes.

"Mithos! Mithos! I brought Genis'…! Oh! You're awake! Thank goodness! Everyone was sooo worried!"

Wow, she was…loud.

"Oh, Amy. Ah, why are you here?" mithos asked, also sounding…annoyed. He dropped my hand quickly, turning to face the blond.

Why did he do that? Normally he didn't mind holding my hand in front of people…then again, it'd probably be safest if he didn't here. After all, these people were complete strangers.

"Oh, um, I brought Genis' outfit! Mandy picked out the rest of it! She also cleaned your outfit for you, and she even sewed it up so it looks brand new!"

Okay, yeah, this girl was _really_ loud. I was starting to get a headache

"Th-thank you, Amy." Mithos muttered grabbing the articles of clothing, which were stuck in a basket, and placing it at the foot of the large bed I now slept in.

"Is there anything else you want? I'm really fast at delivering stuff, or, or getting stuff so—"

"I think that's enough, Amy. Why don't you go back to your store now? I'm sure Mandy needs the help."

"Oh! Right! Right! I'll see you later mister Mayor!"

M-mister…Mayor? O-okay…this was…even weirder.

The mayor, a tall man with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing plan brown britches and a white shirt with an orange overcoat, stood in the doorway, smiling at me.

"I'm sure you two have a lot to catch up on. When you're ready, I'll allow you to look around town. But make sure you're fully recovered first."

"O-okay, um, th-thank you…"

"You're welcome, Genis."

Then the man walked away. Creepy. Why did I feel this sense of…unease? It felt like something was here that wasn't supposed to be here.

And that something was me.

I shivered at the thought, causing Mithos to look at me with worry clear in his eyes.

"Are you cold?"

I looked down at my tattered outfit, "Um, what do you think?"

"That yes, you are. Here, I'm sure Mandy picked out something nice for you to wear…" He turned and started rummaging through the basket, casting aside his old outfit before pulling out my new one.

First he pulled out the black pants, which looked similar to his own, but smaller, which made sense, since Mithos was taller than me.

The next article of clothing was my shirt, which looked similar to the one I had been wearing. The only difference was it wasn't as big, and it had a blue ribbon-like lacing down the front.

The last piece of the outfit was a grey cloak with a hood and silver-blue clasps to hold the two sides together.

"Do you like it?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah! I like it a lot!"

"Okay then, let's get you changed…

--------------------------------------------

**Me: **That's it, the end of TU 46! And I have to say, I got this done in record time!

**Feral: **True, true. Though the end…seems…ah…

**Me: **Yesh, now your mind is in the gutter?

**Feral: **How do you know that if yours isn't already there?

**Me: **Because, I just came back from the dentist, and they gave me a shot to numb my mouth and it made me sleepy!

**Feral: **Some excuse that is…

**Me: **Be quiet…

**Feral: **But it's the truth!

**Me: **-cough- well whatever, anyway R&R please! I love reviews, and they make wanna update! So review, review, review!


	47. Time in Exire: Peace

**Me: **And here's another Chapter of TU, and I have to say that this, by far, my latest update -bows head- I'm so sorry! I've been sick for the past three weeks (a cold that's been going on and off) and our computer is starting to act up, and my dad may be going in to fix it, though I'm not sure when.

**April: **Yes, you're just lucky that you can still upload.

**Me: **Yeah definitely.

**To Understand: Part Forty-Seven**

**Time in Exire: Peace**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**LittleLinor: **Ah, yeah, I know I promised you some fluff, but don't worry there's going to be some in this chapter (a lot of it, mind you). As for the interesting ending…well, you'll see what happens since this chapter more-or-less focuses on that. As for Mithos being mad, don't worry, that'll come when Raine gets there/figures out who Virginia is in relation to her and Genis. That's when he gets really angry. Now here's the next, incredibly late, update. Enjoy!

**Viaroura Fox: **Hmm, don't worry you'll figure out what the gravestone says soon enough (hopefully in the next chapter, but I'm still not sure). And yes Zelos does have some markings on his hands, except for they're red not purple. Now here's the next chapter, enjoy!

**Takokinoko: **I'm glad you think Genis'll look cute in his new outfit, cuz Mithos (of course) will too! And yeah once the people in Exire get to know Genis, they'll like him (who couldn't like him—unless he didn't like them to begin with and was being mean). And you're right Genis would be in a state of absolute shock if he were to become friends with Virginia…though I'm not sure if I'll add that in or not (we'll just have to wait and see). Now here's the next chapter—enjoy! ****

April: So this means that now there are how many chapters left until everyone leaves Exire?

**Me: **Hmm, I'm not too sure anymore, just know that Genis has to change, Sheena needs to make her pact, Raine needs to find out about Virginia and Kloitz, Mithos needs to tell Genis about Virginia and Kloitz, the Mitosu, Pronyma, Jiniasu and Seiji need to show up.

**April: **So it might take longer than you thought?

**Me: **Doesn't it always?

**April: **Well, that's true. Okay then Harmony283 owns what she owns and doesn't own what she doesn't own, okay? Okay.

**Authors Note: **That was short…but anyway, Genis is finally away and is now changing into his new outfit. While doing so, he has a conversation with Mithos about wanting peace. But can that really happen when he's in Exire? And can Mithos keep his promise to Belle and not tell Genis about his parents? On a side note, a particularly unusual monster attacks Lloyd's group; Zelos looses his cool and suddenly attacks Kratos, and shortly after that, passes out. Why?

**April: **-gulp-that doesn't sound too good

**Me: **That's the way it goes…

--------------------------------------

Mithos POV

I watched as a blush formed on Genis cheeks. He was still in bed, and didn't seem to want to move anytime soon. Of course, right now it'd probably be the best thing for him—not to move, I mean.

So of course, that meant that I had to get him into more comfortable clothing. So I was doing this as a way of helping him…

But why did it have to sound so wrong?

"Um…o-okay…"

It took me a moment to realize Genis spoke, but once I did, I moved closer to him.

"First we need to get this…shirt off and thrown away. Is this…Lloyds?"

He nodded his head, "Yeah, he's the closest in age to me, so I had to wear something of his." 

"I see. Well, you don't have to worry about wearing anything of _his_ anymore." I don't know why, but…but I felt jealous. I know I shouldn't feel jealous but I do. I mean, Genis is _mine_, and he doesn't like Lloyd that way anyway.

"M-Mithos? Um…I need a little help st-standing…"

I blinked, turning to face the younger half-elf. He looked so helpless, looking up at me with a sleepy look in his eyes.

He's so adorable.

So adorable that I almost forgot that he asked me to help him.

"Yeah, okay. Here." Held my hand out and he gripped it, using it as a sort of balance as he stood up. Though he was far from able to do just that with the minimal amount of help my hand had.

I quickly wrapped my arm around his waist as he tumbled forward, nearly hitting the floor.

"There, are you okay now?''

Genis nodded his head, blushing even more.

"Ye-Yes…I'm fi-fine…um…I think I need to--eep! Mithos! What're you--?"

I shifted his shirt a little more, so that his shorts could be fully seen. They were in the same condition as his shirt was, but they weren't as torn.

I then pushed Genis back to a sitting position on the bed. He just looked up at me, a blush on his face.

"Mithos…"

"Raise your arms."

He did just that, and I slipped off the loose white fabric over his head and off his arms, tossing it aside. I then looked back down at him. His chest showed various marks, mostly scratches and bruises, but his chest…

"Pronyma is going to die the next time I see her."

"Wha--? Mithos please! Let's not worry about that now. Yes I know you hate her, and you'll always hate her…but right now I--" he looked away from me, his face quite literally _glowing_ from the redness of his blush.

"You?"

"I want you to…worry about…me…"

I blinked, "You want me…to worry about you? Genis…"

He shook his head violently, "I-I know it's s-selfish request but…but…" his voice wavered and he turned back to face me, his face still bright red.

"But what Genis?" I asked, placing a hand on his warm cheek as I sat down on the bed next to him, "Tell me."

Genis moved over a bit so that he was farther on the bed before speaking, "Just don't…don't talk about Pronyma, Mitosu…don't talk about any of those things. Okay? I don't want to think about them, especially not now." He looked around us, "Especially not here. We're finally somewhere peaceful…"

He leaned his head against my chest, "And I want to be happy…I want to not have to worry…unless I have to. I don't want to have anything to worry about, to be scared of."

I smiled, wrapping one arm around his waist while running the fingers of my free hand through his hair, "I understand."

I understood all right. But it wasn't going to be that easy. After what Belle told me, Genis wasn't going to get his wish of peace. How can things be peaceful when your mother, whom you believed to have abandoned you when you were a newborn, was in the same town as you…and she was driven mentally insane?

_'But Genis told me once that he thought his parents were dead. It's good that it isn't entirely true. But his mother being alive will…will be far worse than her being dead.' _

"Mithos? Um…"

I blinked, looking back down at the younger half-elf, "hmm?"

Genis blushed, "Um…I…it's cold…"

I chuckled, "Yes, you're right. I suppose it would be. Here, let me help you finish getting dressed."

Genis slowly slid off my lap so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching me as I pulled out the rest of his articles of clothing. I picked up the tunic that, I was sure, Mandy had chosen.

"Here, your shirt goes on first. It might be a bit big, but I don't think it'll be as baggy as what you were wearing."

Genis nodded his head, raising his arms as I helped slip on the shirt over his head. Once both his arms were pulled through, I quickly laced up the blue ribbon in the front, "There, now let's get your shorts off…and then we can put these," I pulled out the black trousers, "on."

He nodded his head once more, though this time he was blushing.

And why wouldn't he be? If someone were to walk in while I was assisting him, and if they didn't know what I was doing, the situation could become…very awkward. Whoever the unfortunate person was would probably take it the wrong way, too.

I shook my head, bending down and gripping the brim of Genis' shorts, "raise your hips," I murmured, "It'll make it easier." 

Genis flushed even further, but did as I said, and I quickly tugged the tattered shorts off, throwing them over near where his shirt had landed. I then quickly grabbed the last article of Genis' new outfit, and slipped them on just as easily.

"There." I stood back, smiling, "all done."

"Um…" Genis was still blushing, looking down and tugging at the excess ribbon that was present at the top of his tunic. He looked so cute like that. And I could tell he was nervous.

And I guess in a way it was my job to cheer him up. I moved closer to him, stopping his hand movement, smiling.

"You look good in that. In fact, I like it much more than your old outfit…" I kissed his cheek gently before pulling away, though my grip on his hand never ceased, "Are you feeling any better?"

Genis shook his head, "I-I…I think maybe, just a little. But, um, where did the mayor go?"

"I'm assuming he just left the room…but I'll go get him if you want to talk to him. Just wait right here."

Genis shook his head, "Like I could go anywhere if I tried."

I smiled. That sounded more like the Genis I knew. The Genis before this…before these horrible events had happened.

-------------------------------------

Lloyds POV

This silence was close to unbearable as we flew threw the sky on our Rhieards. The hum of their engines was the only sound being made. And it really, _really_ started to bug me.

Regal wasn't talking, though that was probably because he never liked to talk when we were on the Rhieards. I don't think it's just me in thinking that he hates heights.

Presea wasn't talking either. But she did look pale, like she was sick. Then again, she didn't fight at all when we had gone up against Mitosu.

Kratos, well, he was always silent, so I couldn't exactly expect much talking from him. I honestly don't think he could be the start of any sort of conversation…unless it had something to do with training, or what our next 'objective' was. But we had already gone over that before we took off, so it's not like we needed to go over it again. We were going to Exire to meet up with the others, and hopefully Raine, Sheena, Colette, April, and Yuan were already in Exire.

I sighed, turning to look at Zelos, who was flying closest to me. He was being very out of character. He wasn't talking at all. In fact, he seemed really…serious.

_'Wow, I've never gotten to observe everyone this closely before…but I don't like it…I need to talk to someone dammit!' _

Something winged and furry flew mere inches away from my Rhieard, making me flinch and, unintentionally, swerve. That, of course, caused Kratos to stop his flight, Zelos to jump, and Presea and Regal to stop as well.

Well that wasn't smart. I rammed right into Zelos' Rhieard, which sent him wobbling, and made it look like he was about to fall off. I honestly would have laughed but…but what was that thing that flew at me?

I turned to look behind me, seeing a small black, well, it was more like brown, speck flying off in the distance.

It then stopped, and turned around.

Crap.

"Lloyd? May I ask what you are staring at?" Presea asked, pulling her Rhieard up to mine.

"Yeah, you rammed right into me! What's the big idea?" Zelos asked, pulling up to the other side of me, an annoyed expression on his face.

I shook my head, "Something flew at me, and it startled me…it's coming back too." I pointed to the brown object flying towards us.

"Is it a bird?"

"That's one furry bird if it was a bird."

Kratos shook his head, "I've never seen a bird with hair on it in all my life."

"Then that definitely isn't a bird."

"No it isn't. But it would be best to land somewhere, because if it attacks again…we're in a bind."

"Kratos is right. We can't very well fight on our Rhieards."

"Yeah but the old man here'll be fine, since he isn't riding a Rhieard anyway."

"Um, let's just land…for now, okay? Besides, Da--Kratos's right. I don't think we'd be able to fight on our Rhieards." I turned back around and scanned the area, unfortunately I couldn't see anything that looked like land, "Um, but I don't see any land." 

"It's coming closer." Presea pointed out, making my eyes search even more frantically.

"I believe I see something…there." Kratos pointed, and I nodded my head. We then lowered our Rhieards and began to fly towards the way Kratos had said.

We arrived a few minutes later over a relatively small island. It was just big enough to fit all the Rhieards, and us, with a relatively nice bare plain which would be good if whatever that furry flying thing was decided to come down and attack us.

And, as if on cue, it did.

It swooped down, barely missing Regal, then it circled around again, this time coming towards Zelos, who unsheathed his sword.

He was about to raise it when Kratos stopped him, "It's best not to aggravate it any more that we have to."

"But if it keeps on attacking us--"

"If it keeps attacking, then yes we will fight. We might be in its' territory"

"That explains why it chased us here." Regal stated.

"But does that not mean we are still in its territory?" Presea asked, tilting her head to the side, seeming to sway back and forth, her cheeks taking on an even paler color than they had a few moments ago.

She really must be sick.

I turned my gaze by on Zelos in time to see the furry…thing…miss him by just a mere centimeter.

"Gah! Okay yeah, that was _way_ too close for comfort, that thing's definitely goin' down."

But before the monster could reach Zelos, and before Zelos could even swing his sword, Kratos grabbed his arm.

"Stop. I said not to aggravate it any more than we have to."

"Yeah well what do you suppose we should do? Sit here and just _let_ it attack us?" Zelos practically shouted, sounding extremely annoyed and somewhat upset.

I don't think I've ever heard him…like this before. He's always easy going. But he was right. Or at least I agreed with him. If we didn't stop that monster it would just keep attacking us. But making it even angrier wouldn't help either.

Now my head hurts. I've been doing way too much thinking for my own good.

"Chosen, calm down."

"Don't…call…me…that." Zelos grated out, giving Kratos a look that showed anger…but fear…? 

What's going on? Why would Zelos be afraid and yet angry at the same time? Don't tell me…don't tell me it has to do with those tattoo's from earlier! No, it can't be, they're just tattoo's, but if what the storyteller guy said was true, then they could mean anything.

I watched the next scene as if it were in slow motion. Zelos swung his blade at Kratos, who dodged and pulled his sword out as well. I watch in silent horror as the metal of each sword clanged together, the afternoon sun glinting off the blades.

Why was this happening?

--------------------------------

Zelos' POV

I watched in horror as I swung my own blade, with my own arms, against Kratos' once more. How was this happening? I wasn't even…It felt like I wasn't even in control over my own body.

But how was that even possible? How can I still be in my body, and yet not be in control? I turned to look at Lloyd, or at least I wanted to, but I couldn't move my head. It felt like I was stuck in some sort of…really sticky goo. And it felt weird too.

Suddenly a searing pain laced up through my arms from the tattoos on my hands. They actually started glowing, and I could see them through my gloves.

_'I really hope I don't have to buy new gloves again' _

I nearly laughed at that thought. How could I be worried about that when I was attacking my boyfriends father? When I was attacking my old teacher? How the heck did this happen in the first place? And that stupid…fuzzy monster thing is behind Kratos now, and he doesn't even see it.

I wanted so badly to look at Lloyd, to tell him to stop, to give him a sign that told him that that wasn't the real me. That I wasn't the one fighting his dad…that I wasn't the one fighting Kratos.

_'Zerasu has awakened…'_

Mitosu's words echoed through my head. Those had been the last words I heard before I had collapsed earlier. But why were they coming back to me now? And what exactly did he mean by 'awakened'? And who was this Zerasu guy?

I snapped away from that particular thought when I stumbled backwards. I somehow gained some control over my body's movement, and my hands stopped hurting, so I turned to face Lloyd, "Ya mind helpin' me a little here?"

"Wh-what?" Lloyd's eyes grew wide, "I-I can't do that."

_'Oh wait. I made that sound like I was asking him to help fight Kratos.'_

"I will _not_ let you get Lloyd involved in this."

I shook my head, "Not help me with that, I don't even know why--ghh…!" I fell to my knees, cradling my hands as they began to burn again.

"Zelos?!?" 

"My hands…hurt…the monster…" I looked up briefly and caught Kratos' eyes, I then looked past him, and he, along with Lloyd, Presea, and Regal, followed my gaze, noticing the monster as well.

"Dammit! Its back!" Lloyd immediately drew his swords, glaring up at the furry flying beast.

Regal sighed, "I guess we really don't have a choice in fighting it." 

"Indeed." Kratos turned back to me, "I would suggest you, as well as Presea, stay out of the fight…at least until you've cooled off."

I looked away from him, how could I convince a guy like him that I hadn't meant to do that? How do I even explain what happened?

The good thing, though, was right after he said that…I promptly collapsed on the ground, the pain in my hands and arms now spreading to the rest of my body, like a wild fire to a dry grassland.

This just wasn't my lucky day.

------------------------

Genis' POV

I watched as Mithos exchanged a few words with the Mayor, moving aside to let the brunette in. Once the mayor laid eyes on me, he smiled, "I see, that outfit does suit you well. Mandy and Amy are definitely good at their job."

Mithos walked over and sat down next to me on the bed, "Well it was more Mandy's doing, probably. Amy was just throwing stuff all over the place." 

"Ah, well, that does seem like…something she would do," the mayor laughed uneasily, "but she really is good at her work." He then turned his gaze to me, as if inspecting me even closer. He muttered something barely audible under his breath, something that made me feel another sense of unease. Why did it feel like I didn't belong here?

Or more precisely why did it feel like he knew something he didn't, or rather wasn't, going to tell me? I was always used to being the one who usually could be trusted to be told things, but then again, I didn't even know this man that well…so it's not like I could expect it or anything.

"Umm…" 

"Oh, yes, pardon me, like I was saying, if you're feeling better I highly recommend you taking a look around town. I have some business to attend to myself, and I was just about to leave. I trust that I can leave you two here and that nothing bad will happen?"

I blinked, "Something bad? Why would you say that?"

He shook his head, "Because Belle's daughter, Maria, isn't exactly the most careful person in the world. The last time I left her alone in this house, I came back to find at least 3 broken dishes…and a few other things as well."

He didn't extenuate on what those 'few other things' were, so I didn't ask. I just nodded my head. I would probably figure them out over my time staying here. But then again, we were only supposed to stay here long enough for Sheena to make the pact with Maxwell, then we would leave again…

"-worry, I doubt something like that would happen. We'll be careful. But…" Mithos looked over at me, "I don't think it'd be good for Genis to have to much company…so if you could tell everyone that he's asleep that would be appreciated.

The mayor laughed, "Well if their reactions are anything like when you came, then yes it definitely wouldn't be good for him." He turned around to leave the room, "I'll go tell them that now." He walked back through the door he came out of, leaving us alone in the room again.

A few seconds of silence past, during that time I could feel Mithos' eyes on me, which made me blush despite the fact that I _really_ should be used to that by now.

"U-um…" I stammered, trying to break the silence in the room. It was getting really embarrassing just sitting--and in Mithos' case standing--around.

"You really do look great in that outfit."

I glanced up at him and he smiled, "Really you do. They're your colors…" 

"I-I…thanks…and, um," I squeezed the bedcovers, which I had grabbed at some point, even tighter, "y-you look nice too…"

_'Would I stop stuttering?'_

But Mithos didn't seem to notice. His smile just seemed to widen as he made his way over to me, "Thank you," He sat down next to me, cupping my face in his hand, turning it towards him, "but you don't need to feel so embarrassed."

_'So he _did_ notice…'_

"You _are _my boyfriend after all."

I felt my face heat up even more as he said that. Yes it was true now. But only _we_ knew that. Okay, yeah, April did, and Kratos too. But it was…actually, I think that was the first time he actually voiced it…

"I-I yeah…you're right." I smiled nervously, and he smiled back, leaning even closer to me. Soon after I felt Mithos' lips up against mine, which sent a tingling sensation throughout my body…just like it had when we kissed at the base of the Tower of Salvation.

I felt him begin to pull away, but for some reason I didn't want this…I didn't want him to. I brought my arms from my sides and wrapped them around his neck. And, in turn, I felt Mithos' arms go around my waist.

But he still pulled away, but not entirely. He pulled away just enough so that he could speak.

"You're so cute…"

I smiled, "Yeah, I know. You've told me that before."

He grinned, "I suppose I have, haven't I? Well then…" he touched his nose to mine, his grin widening, his grip on my waist tightening as well, "I guess I should say…I'm glad you're mine. And I'm not going to let anyone take you away from me."

I blushed, "And how exactly are you going to do that?"

"Not sure…but if I have to, I'll put a leash on you." **(1)**

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**(1)**--this is an idea LittleLinor gave me for a piece of fanart. Of course, I already know I can't do it, and even if I did I wouldn't be able to show anyone (it's out of commission now along with some other stuff dealing with the computer), so if anyone wants to draw it they can. I just thought it was a cute idea, and so I decided to put it in.

**Me: **Well that's the end of TU 47…and yeah, again I'll apologize for the overall late-ness.

**April: **Ah, well, at least you're updating before your dad has to take the computer in to get it fixed.

**Me: **That's true. Now then, R&R please! More reviews equal a faster update!


	48. Time in Exire: Beginning of a Decision

**Me: **And here's TU 48! Only two more chapters to go until TU 50!

**Feral: **Yes…and you're really excited about that aren't you?

**Me: **Yup! That and that TU has _finally_ been put into a C2 community! –does happy dance- that makes me EXTREMELY happy!

**Feral: **-backs away slowly- I can tell…

**To Understand: Part 48**

**Time in Exire: Beginning of a Decision**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**Viaroura Fox: **Heh, heh, heh it's good that you can picture it, cuz I might actually ask someone to draw it. Either that or, when my scanner gets fixed, I'll draw it myself. As for if Mithos is going to do that or not, well, I'm not too sure it'll actually be a _collar_ but in the next chapter Mithos makes Genis a choker…so I guess I could call that a 'collar'. It's still a cute idea though. Now then, here's the next chapter, enjoy!

**Ari-chan687: **I'm glad you think that it's getting interesting (since that's always a good thing) and thanks for the review! Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

**Hiranieas: **Yup, I know I _finally_ updated. I seriously didn't mean for it to take as long as it did to upload, but with computer problems and being sick 3 weeks sure fly by pretty fast. I'm also glad that you thought the last chapter was cute. I personally thought we were overdue for some fluff between Genis and Mithos, and so I put it in. Now here's the next chapter, enjoy!

**LittleLinor: **Yup, I used your idea, and I originally had it where Mithos said 'I'll have to put a collar on you', but for some reason it didn't sound right, so I changed it to leash. Then again, where there's a leash, there's usually a collar. And yes Genis really needs to stop stuttering so much, but Mithos will ask Genis to stop, somewhat, in this chapter. As for the monster, well, that's just another example of what happens when I'm really sleepy (and the medication I was taking then made it worse) and can't think up of anything good. And it's only relevance to the fanfic is that it's, well, there to annoy everyone by attacking their Rhieards (that's the best I can come up with right now…). Heh, and I'm sure you'll like it when Genis finally decides to 'wake up' and come out…and yes Mithos'll definitely get jealous. Though hopefully the time between each update won't reach a month, I can't exactly say (especially with my computer right now), but it's glad to know that you'll support TU still! Now here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Alaia Skyhawk: **Thanks for reviewing for both chapters, and I'll answer both reviews. TU46: Yup gods and goddess's the reason I put that weird dream in there is because you'll need to be familiar with those names in TU:RooS, which, from the looks of things, may be coming out this summer (though I'm not too sure when exactly since I'm not too sure how many chapters TU is actually going to be) and I also have a transition oneshot (maybe) that goes on in between the two. TU47: Yes poor Zelos, and yes it's a furry bird (I still have no idea where my mind went the night I was writing that part). As for the G/M fluff, I hadn't added in some in a while, and I kinda promised there'd be fluff in Exire (but I was already planning to have it in the chapter anyway, so it's no big deal). But yeah, I'm glad you liked the (two) chapter(s)! And here's the next one—enjoy!

**Takokinoko: **Is Zerasu controlling Zelos? Hmm, well, I can't exactly say but it does have something to do with the weird tattoo's Zelos has on his hands. Come to think of it, I might have Zerasu show up, but you'd probably have to pay close attention or you'll miss him. And the leash/collar idea, well, I have something that I could use to some extent in the next chapter for that idea, but it's more of a 'choker' than a collar. Though I think it'll still work. And here's the next chapter, enjoy! ****

Feral: So…how many 'Time in Exire' titles are you going to have now?

**Me: **I thought I already said I didn't know…but yeah, I'm planning on having 'Time in Exire' start off each of the chapters having to deal with, what else, their time in Exire.

**Feral: **Well, whatever, it's your fanfic. Speaking of which, of course you own it, but you don't own the characters Genis, Mithos, or anything else to do with ToS, you just own the plot and the OC's.

**Me: **…was that supposed to be the disclaimer?

**Feral: **Yes it was.

**Authors Note: **You're so cold. -cough- anyway, in this chapter Genis is finally well enough to stand. And, while throwing away Genis' old outfit, Mithos finds a blue feather, from Genis' angel wings. Genis soon tells him that he has one of his own in the pocket of his shorts. What are they planning on doing to them? And how will Mithos react when he finds the broken picture frame and the group photo that was taken back in Meltokio (the same photo Genis broke in the beginning)? Also Raine and Co. reach Exire, and decide to make the pact with Maxwell first, but Raine can't help but worry over Genis. What will happen when they meet up with the Mayor and he says he knows things about Virginia?

**Feral: **I can already tell that Raine isn't going to be too happy. That and that some cute scenes are ahead…

**Me: **Hmm, maybe, maybe not. And as for the cute scenes, you'll just have to wait and see…

-----------------------------------

April's POV

I blinked, rubbing my eyes and then focusing them back ahead of me. There was something…something that looked distinctly like a floating land mass, some ways ahead of us. It was covered with clouds, but it definitely was floating…and it was definitely too big to be a bird or a monster.

"I think…that's it." I murmured, turning to face Raine, who also seemed to notice it.

"There it is. That _must_ be Exire."

"oh it is." Yuan stated, flying a bit faster so that he was now leading us, "I haven't been there in…in years…"

"How many years?" Colette asked, "Oh, wait, no, sorry I shouldn't ask that…"

Yuan shook his head, "I haven't been there in about ten years."

"O-oh…okay…um…" 

"And it seems to have gotten larger. Though I wonder how that's even possible since they can't expand." Yuan paused in his flight to think, making Sheena, who was right behind him, freeze.

"H-hey! Don't stop! Do you want me to hit you?!?" she cried out, sounding extremely nervous.

"Sheena? Are you okay?"

Sheena shook her head, "Y-yes I'm fine…it's just a little nerve racking thinking about making that pact and all."

I blinked, "Haven't you done it before?"

Sheena shook her head, "Of _course_ I have. But those times were different."

Colette flew her Rhieard up parallel to Sheena's, "How is it different?"

"Because, unlike Undine, Efreet, Sylph, Volt, Gnome, Celcius, Shadow, Luna, and even Origin, Maxwell is the creator of all things. That's why he's called the Summon Spirit of Birth. It's…extremely hard to beat him, and I doubt many have even seen him before."

"Well he does have enough power to keep Exire afloat…"

"Yes and he can do much more than that. I can understand why Mithos wishes to speak with him."

"Huh? Really? Why?"

Yuan turned to face me, his face serious, "It must have to do with a way to bring Martel's old body back. She only exists in her Cruxis Crystal as an Astrobody, Mithos must be trying to see if he can restore her normal body."

"You know an awful lot more about this than we do, why is that?" Raine asked, flying her Rhieard dangerously close to Yuan.

"I thought I told you, I ran into Mithos when he was making his way out of the Tower of Salvation. He told me that Genis had come up with a plan to revive Martel, and that he needed to speak with Maxwell. The only plausible reason I can see as to _why_ he needs Maxwell's help is if it has something to do with Martel."

"I see. Hmm, I'm starting to wonder where Genis came across this 'other way' to revive Martel. It seems a little far-fetched that there even _is_ a way to begin with."

Yuan shook his head, "That's what I would like to know as well. But the only way we can figure that out is if we get to Exire and make a pact with Maxwell. Surely then Mithos will tell us what he knows, and if Genis is better, he will tell us exactly where he found how to revive her." 

Sheena sighed loudly, "That's good that you're interested in _why_ Genis knows what he does, and where he found out about it, but the fact is that we still need to form the pact and…" she looked down, "I'm not even sure I'm strong enough yet."

"Sheena! Don't say that!" Colette cried out, jumping up and down on her Rhieard, "You _know_ you are! We know you are!"

Sheena sighed again, "Yeah, yeah, I know I shouldn't talk like that," She smiled, "I know you don't like it but…there's a catch to…to, um, getting Maxwell to appear."

"Yes there is." Yuan nodded his head.

"There is…? What is it?" I asked, looking between the two.

Yuan shook his head, "It's best if we talk about it when we get there."

"Yes that would be the best solution."

I smiled, "And you're worried about Genis, right?"

Raine turned away, looking over at the figure looming behind the clouds, "Yes I'm worried. His wounds were extensive the last time I saw him…and…and I had no choice but to leave him in the care of someone who used to be our greatest enemy," her grip tightened on the handles of her Rhieard, "who wouldn't be worried?"

"oh, but I think we can trust Mithos! He seemed to be really nice the last time we saw him, and he even went to visit Genis when we were going up against Origin so he wouldn't be lonely!" Colette cried out, a smile on her face.

"And I told you in that letter that we could trust him." Sheena added in.

Raine shook her head, "Yes but he still hasn't proven he can be trusted. If he did get Genis to safety, and if Genis is better when I get there then _maybe _I'll start trusting him."

But she didn't look too sure about that.

And something told me I knew why.

"But that's not the only reason you don't like having Genis around him is it?" I asked, making Raine turn towards me, a look of shock on her face. But just as soon as it was there, it was gone.

"Another reason?" Both Sheena and Colette asked in unison, giving Raine and I questioning looks.

Raine turned to face forward, "Yes there is another reason, but I don't want to talk about it now."

I just smiled as they turned their gaze to me, "If Raine doesn't want to talk about it then I won't either."

Yuan coughed loudly, "Are you done talking now?"

We nodded our heads.

"Good, now let's get going."

We nodded our heads once more, turning to face in the direction of Exire, and took off.

-------------------------

Mithos' POV

I smiled as Genis' face reddened even more at my…statement. I had no idea where it came from, but, ironically enough, I was serious about it. If Pronyma or Mitosu—or both of them—really were stupid enough to come here and try to take Genis away from me again...well, they wouldn't succeed, but I would make sure they wouldn't get to him again.

Or at least if they took him, they'd take me as well.

"U…um…" 

"Hmm?" I tilted my head to the side, looking at the blushing boy in front of me, "What is it Genis?"

"Wh…how…how are you…going to d-do that? I-I mean…are you serious?"

I nodded my head, "Of course I'm serious. I wouldn't have said that if I wasn't serious. The only problem would be where I'd find a cute enough collar for you…" I smirked, "it would have to be blue…with a bell…and maybe I could even find a pair of cat ears for you to wear…and a cat tail. _Or _ you could just wear your Katz outfit," I took a strand of his hair, wrapping it around my finger, "Either way, you'd look adorable."

I paused, watching to see what Genis' reaction would be.

He was blushing and looking away from me.

How predictable.

I leaned in closer to him, if that were even possible, "Not that I'm saying you aren't cute now. You're, in fact, the cutest boyfriend I've ever had."

Genis looked up at me, shocked, "You've had a boyfriend before?"

I blinked, shaking my head, "It never got serious enough…they always either died or disappeared for some unknown reason. They always said I was obsessed too."

Genis shook his head, "I wonder why…"

"What?"

"N-nothing, um…well…you're…you're the only boyfriend I've ever had."

"Naturally."

"Eh-heh-heh, y-yeah, a-and I think you're cute…um…" he looked away again and I smiled. It was endearing that he blushed so much around me, and I have to admit I did like the stuttering to some extent—it just added to his cuteness.

But it really was something I'd like him to get over.

"_Genis…_" 

"yeah?"

"I'm going to request something." 

He tilted his head to side, "O-okay…what is it?"

"If you can stop stuttering around me, at least somewhat, then I'll give you a present."

Genis blushed, "Um…but how do I do that? I-I can't just stop…I think it'd just, y'know, h-happen naturally…um…why are you asking?"

"Because I'd like to have at least one conversation with you without you stuttering, like back when we were just friends."

Genis nodded his head, "I—well, it's kinda s-sudden, but I'll try."

I smiled, "Good." I leaned in even closer, "Now as for your present," I placed a soft kiss on his lips, and then pulled away, "Well, can you stand?"

Genis looked at me, his expression one of bewilderment. He looked around the room, and then back at me, "I guess I can try…"

"Okay then. Here, you can lean on me if you need help." I then moved off the bed, holding my hand out to the silver-haired half-elf. He took my hand, sliding off the bed as well, standing on shaky legs.

"Good…now let's try walking okay?"

He nodded his head, and smiled, "Yeah, I wanna take a look around this place anyway. I mean, this is my first time coming here and I'm sure everyone here is really nice."

I smiled, "Yes really nice…but…" 

"But?"

I shook my head, "The girls are a bit off."

He looked at me weird, "A 'bit off'? What do you mean by that?"

I shrugged, "You'll see when you see them. They'll know you're up in a heartbeat."

"So is that why you told the mayor to tell everyone that I was still resting?"

I nodded my head, "Yes. You don't want to have to deal with a crowd of girls when you can't even walk, much less stand, on your own."

"That's true…um…" he turned to look at my old outfit, which was lying now unfolded on the floor, "I think we should pack this up, and we don't need my old outfit, so I guess we can throw that away right?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah…" I walked over to where I had thrown his old outfit, picking up the tattered shirt and bloodied shorts. I tossed the shorts first, and was about to throw the shirt in the same trash-can-looking-thing when something blue and glittery caught my eye. I blinked and took a closer look.

And there, inside his shirt, stuck in one of the folds, was a crystal blue feather, obviously from Genis' wings.

_'Which reminds me…I still need to ask him about that. But…' _I turned back around to face Genis, who was folding my outfit neatly and placing it on the edge of the bed once more. He turned to face me, smiling.

I smiled back, "Hey Genis, look what I found." I held up the blue angel wing, and he gasped.

"Where'd you find that?"

"It was stuck in your clothing." 

"I…it was? That…I didn't know that." He shook his head, then he turned to look where I had put his clothes. Suddenly his face lit up, as if he remembered something.

"I remember finding one of your feathers once, back in Flanoir after you left. It was on the windowsill. I wonder if I still have it." 

"Where would it be?"

"In one of the pockets of my shorts. It'd be so neat if I still had it too." 

I looked back at the heap of dirty clothing, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to look. But…why would it be 'neat' if you still had it? I can always give you another one."

Genis smiled, a sweet, sincere smile, "Because it was on the night that you told me you loved me again. On the night that _I _told you I loved you. And…wouldn't it be so neat if we had one feather for each of us?"

An idea suddenly formed in my mind, "Wait…if you do still have it…" I moved towards the trashcan, pulling out his dirty articles of clothing, "If you do still have it then maybe I can make some sort of charm for each of us."

Genis was now standing right next to me, "Really? That'd be…that'd be so cool!"

I smiled, "Yes, it would. And even if we got separated again, you would have something of mine with you."

He nodded his head, watching as I searched the pockets of his old shorts. I didn't feel anything in the first pocket, so I checked the second. My hands brushed against something odd and I pulled it out. Sure enough, just like Genis had said, it was one of my own angel feathers.

And it hadn't dulled a bit.

It still glimmered in its rainbow colors as bright as it had, presumably, the day I dropped it.

Genis gently took it from my hands, "it still…feels so warm." He smiled at me, "That's good. And I'm glad but…how are we going to make them into charms."

That was a good question.

"Maybe there's something in your bag. I know the pendant we need has a chain, but its best to keep it on there just in case."

Genis nodded his head, "Yeah. Though I think there might be a few other things in there. Raine kept some of her artifacts in there, and that's also the bag for the items we have extra of. So maybe we can use a chain from one of them?"

I nodded my head, "Yes that would be a good idea. It's not like they'll miss any of those things, right?" I looked down at Genis questioningly. He just nodded his head.

"No they won't miss them. But Raine'll probably get angry if we do use a chain, or anything else that'd ruin her artifacts."

I chuckled, "Yes I suppose she would but," I turned his face towards mine, placing a kiss on his forehead, "I think she'd worry about you more than some thousand year old piece of junk." 

He smiled back, "Yeah."

We then walked back over, well, I walked back over and Genis stumbled back over, to where his bag lay, on one of the chairs by the doorway. I picked it up and placed it on the bed.

"Now let's see exactly what's in here." I dumped the contents out on the bed surface, Genis kneeling down and resting his head on the end of the bed.

The first thing out of the objects strewn across the bedsheet that I noticed was the Aqua pendant. I smiled and placed it away from the rest of the items. I turned back and immediately my eyes caught on a broken frame of a small photograph.

I recognized it almost immediately as I picked it up.

"This is…"

Genis smiled and nodded his head, "Yes, it's from when we visited Meltokio together."

"But why is it broken?" I asked, tilting my head to the side and looking at him, "Did it break on the journey? Or…"

"I'm the one who broke it."

I froze, "You what?"

He squeezed his eyes shut, "I'm sorry. I know I promised I'd take good care of it! But it's on the frame that's broken…and I was really angry…and I didn't even know it happened and…and Feral…and…!"

I removed any space between us, cutting him off with a fierce hug, "It's okay."

"B-but…you look so _sad_ about it."

I shook my head, "Well yes, you didn't keep your promise about taking good care of it, but like you said, the photograph isn't harmed. Now lets go back to looking."

Genis nodded his head, "O-okay, I'll put this over here. And I'll…I'll try to find another frame for it as soon as possible."

I nodded my head, turning back to the contents on the bed. There were some metal-like objects that we could definitely use. And making a chain wouldn't be hard at all, especially for me.

"Hmm, but I think a choker would be better for you." I mumbled to myself, causing Genis to look over at me.

"A choker?"

I nodded my head, turning to face him, "Yes. Like a collar."

----------------------------------

Raine's POV

I sighed in relief as we landed on one of the outer platforms of the floating city of Exire. The first thing I wanted to do was ask the nearest person if anyone named Genis Sage had arrived.

But I knew I couldn't do that…at least I couldn't _yet_. I turned to look at Sheena, who seemed quite nervous. She was here to make a pact. And that was the first thing we had to accomplish.

I got off my Rhieard, gripping my oak staff in my hands, taking a deep breath. I would soon be around my own kind…and it quite honestly scared me to death. That and the possibility that Genis…

I shut my eyes tightly _'No you can't think about Genis right now, no matter how much you want to! The pact with Maxwell comes first, and I know Sheena needs our help. Besides it would be better if the pact was already made by the time Lloyd and the others got here.' _

I jumped and turned when I felt a hand on my shoulder, it was April. She gave me a concerned look, "Are you okay?"

I nodded my head, "As okay as I'm going to be."

Yuan coughed, straightening his cloak, "Well if we're done talking here, then I suppose we can…go speak with the mayor."

"Um, you don't sound too happy about that…" Colette murmured from next to Sheena, eyeing Yuan with concern.

The blue haired ex-seraph sighed, "Well no I'm not too happy about it, you see, the last time I tried to have a civil talk with the man he got angry with me. He has quite the temper when he wants one. Then again, he was rather young the last time I saw him, hopefully the years have been good to him and helped him mellow out." 

"Urm…and it's bad if he gets angry at us because…?"

"The last time he got angry with me, he ordered me to leave, and if I didn't he would permanently ban me from Exire."

"…that's some temper."

Yuan nodded his head, "Yes. Though I believe it was in some ways my fault as well. I wished to have more half-elves on my side then, and he said no…"

"…but shouldn't that be their own decision."

"I suppose, but that isn't what we're here for is it? You're here to make the pact, I'm here to get more information from Mithos, which he won't give unless you _make_ the pact."

"So we make the pact." Colette stated, smiling, "I'm sure we can convince Maxwell that Sheena's good enough."

Sheena smiled, "Yeah, I hope he'll…accept me…"

I nodded my head, "Yes, hopefully. Now let's get going. I don't want to stand here all day." 

Sheena nodded her head, "Yeah, you probably don't. Especially since Genis is here and all."

"We don't know if he's here or not."

"But I don't think Mithos would lie to us." Colette added in, looking at me with saddened eyes, "Or do you still not trust him?"

"I can't trust him unless I see that Genis is better. If Genis is better then I will decide on my own whether or not he's trustworthy or not." I turned and walked down the stone steps to one of the lower platforms.

For some strange reason, there was this _feeling_ in the air. I couldn't tell what it was. But I knew I was going to be in for…something extremely unpleasant soon.

But what exactly that unpleasant something was. I didn't know. I sighed softly to myself, walking across a small walkway, noticing immediately how many…girls…were crowded around this platform.

I also saw a man with brown hair and brown eyes speaking with one of the young women in the crowd, "Yes, they're resting now. No one's permitted to see them. Now I will be in my home if anyone needs me…"

"But Mayor!" One girl cried out, "You haven't even told us about the blond boy, the boy who was awake! Who is he?"

The brown haired man smiled, "Well I suppose I can tell you his name, now don't be shocked. His name is Mithos." 

The crowd gasped, and my eyes widened.

_'So Mithos really is here…he really did keep his promise…' _

I watched as the Mayor walked into his house and the crowd of women dissipate.

"Wow. So Mithos really is here?" Sheena asked to no one in particular, leaning on one foot, her arms crossed over her chest.

"It appears to be that way. Now, since we know where the mayor is, let us ask him where Maxwell sleeps."

"But…" 

"It's fine Colette. Yuan is right. The pact comes first. I'll visit Genis afterwards," I smiled down at the blond, "Besides, he said they were resting, which is a relief to hear." 

April nodded her head, smiling as well, "Yes Genis hasn't been getting that much sleep lately either."

We turned and walked over to the Mayors house. Ironically enough, no one stopped us or asked us what we were doing here…what humans were doing here. As we entered the Mayors house, I held my breath.

The first thing that happened, to my surprise, was the Mayor rising from his chair, and staring straight at me, "Virginia?" He asked, as if in shock.

_'Wait…how does he know my mothers name?' _

"No…you aren't Virginia…you're…"

"My name is Raine, I'm Virginia's daughter." I answered for him. His eyes widened.

"And we're here to find out where Maxwell's seal is." Yuan finished.

"I…see…" 

He turned to look between us, "And I would assume that you are Genis and Mithos' friends?"

We nodded our heads, "Yes, we are. But, um, there are…a few more people coming too…" 

"Humans, elves, and half-elves…as friends," the man shook his head, "If you wish to know where Maxwell's seal is, it's around back, it's also the furthest platform."

"I see, thank you, we will be leaving now." Yuan tersely replied, turning around and walking back out the doorway.

"Ah, wait Yuan!" Colette called out, following him out, followed by Sheena. April looked at me in confusion, but bowed her head and left as well.

Once the door closed behind her, I turned back to face the mayor, "You know my mother?"

He nodded his head, "Yes. Yes I do." He looked down.

_'This can't be happening…he knows my mother…the woman who…'_

"But I won't tell you anything about her until you're done with whatever it is you need to be doing." His eyes were serious, "After you're done with your business here I would like you to come back and speak to me alone."

I nodded my head, "Yes…I understand."

He smiled, "Good."

I turned to leave, and, just as I opened the door he spoke again, "You look so much like your mother…and Genis…looks so much like your father."

I walked out the door and followed the path behind the Mayors house, nearly bumping into April, who was waiting right behind the first corner.

She smiled at me and I smiled back.

_'He knows about my mother…' _

We made out way down the long pathway to were a huge stone tablet lay.

"What does it say?" Colette asked, "I can't read it." 

Sheena shook her head, "Neither can I."

"I'm afraid my studies in ruins aren't as…heightened as they used to be. Raine, if you would…"

I nodded my head and walked up to the huge tablet.

_'He knows about my father…and he says Genis and I look so much like our parents. But I can't think about that now…I have to focus on helping make the pact with Maxwell…'_

I closed my eyes, and then opened them.

Yes, the only thing I needed to worry about now was the pact with Maxwell. Everything else would have to wait for later…no matter how much I want it now.

-----------------------------------------

**Me: **And there's TU Part 48! And I have to say one thing about it…nothing I wanted to happen in the chapter (except for the finding of Genis and Mithos' feathers) that I wanted to happen.

**Feral: **Which means, you guessed it, the Exire-centered chapters are going to be extended by at least one chapter. Not that anyone minds…

**Me: **That's true. Now then, R&R please! More reviews equal a faster update! So yeah, review!


	49. Time in Exire: Making a Charm

**Me: **And here's TU 49, one more chapter to go until TU 50!

**April: **Yup!

**To Understand: Part 49**

**Time in Exire: Making a Charm**

**By Harmony283**

**  
Reviews: **

**LittleLinor: **Holy cow…I upload and then 10 minutes go by (well, it was more like 12)…and then you review. I can see why you like FF story updating alert thing…I wish it'd work for me. And yeah I'm sure you'll the resemblance of the collar idea in this chapter. It's actually really sweet, in my opinion. Also in the fight yes Yuan will participate. It's him, Colette, Raine, and Sheena. Since April really has no idea how to fight a summon spirit (yet she's the one who points out how to make Maxwell appear…) she'll be standing off to the side watching. Well then, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and here's the newest one, enjoy!

**DraNKa:** Heh, I'm glad you like the whole angel feather charm thing, I've actually had it in my mind for the longest time. And it's the reason why Genis found that feather in the beginning. You'll actually see Mithos (somehow) make the choker/collar for Genis in this chapter (hence the title of the chapter), so enjoy!

**ViarouraFox: **You're wondering what the charms'll look like? Well you'll get a description in this chapter and, once my scanner's fixed, you'll possibly get a pic as well! Now here's the newest chapter, enjoy!

**Hiranieas: **Heh, I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and yes there is a bunch of fluff between Mithos and Genis in Exire, since that's really the only place I can put it (that and in another chapter that's coming up). Well here's the newest chapter, so enjoy!

**Me: **Whelp here's another chapter, and honestly, I started this one earlier than I normally do.

**April: **Well they always say it's good to do that when the ideas are fresh in your mind.

**Me: **Yeah.

**April: **Well I guess I'll do the disclaimer now: Harmony283 doesn't own ToS or any of it's lovable oh-so-good characters. She only owns the plot and the OC's.

**Authors Note: **Yeah, that's been true for all 49 chapters of TU, I highly doubt it's gonna change any time soon. Now then, in the last chapter Genis and Mithos decide to make charms/necklaces/chokers using the angel feathers they found. How well does that go? Also, will Sheena successfully make the pact with Maxwell, and if she does what exactly does Mithos need to ask him? Also Mitosu and Pronyma are making their way towards Exire...that can't be good.

**April: **…I feel kinda sorry for Genis in these chapters. He's so happy, and yet he doesn't even know his own mother is in Exire mere platforms away.

**Me: **And I guess that's a good thing that he doesn't know.

**April: **Yes but Mithos does…and how long is he planning on keeping that a secret anyway?

**Me: **You'll just have to wait and see.

----------------------------------------------

Genis' POV

I watched as Mithos carefully unhooked the chain from one of the Poison Charms we had in the bag. He pushed aside some of the other items, and laid both my feather, and the chain out.

"Hmm, do we have anything really sharp around here?" he suddenly asked, making me jump.

"Wh-what? Oh, um…well, if there's nothing there then I have no idea."

He shrugged, moving some of his yellow bangs out of his eyes, "Well it doesn't matter that much, I guess I'll just use my magic then."

I nodded my head, watching as he held up a finger, closing his eyes, and suddenly a thin beam of light magic zapped through the tip of the feather, leaving a perfect sized hole in its place.

Mithos smiled happily, "There now we just slip the chain through, and this will be my charm."

I nodded my head, taking the feather in my hands, and taking the chain in the other, slipping it through the perfect sized hole. Mithos turned so that his back was facing me, holding up his hair so that I could slip the chain around his neck with it getting tangled in his blond hair.

"There! It's done." I stated as I finished hooking one side of the chain to the other, smiling.

Mithos smiled back, turning to face the bed once more, "Yes, now to look for yours. I know we can't use a chain, because then it'd be hidden most of the time."

"Yeah and you already said you wanted it to be a choker…because it'd be more like a…a…collar…" that thought made me blush and turn away.

To my surprise Mithos laughed at this, well, it was more of a chuckle than a laugh, but it still counted.

"Yes, a collar. Hmm, and…the only thing I see here that looks like it could be used for that is this…" he picked up an extremely old looking vase that had a silver metal trim around the base, that looked like it was falling off.

"But that's--"

"One of Raine's artifacts?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah. I think it was the one, um, she took with her before our house was…burned down."

His eyes widened, and that's when I realized it. I never really told him the story about that…accident…

"Your home was burned down? Who did it?"

"The…Desians under Forcystus did it. It's because we--me an' Lloyd--violated the peace treaty by going to the Iselia human ranch." I touched the exsphere on my right hand and Mithos seemed to understand.

"Is that where you got…Marble's exsphere?"

I nodded my head, "Y-yeah. It was shortly after that. She…she turned into a monster and Forcystus ordered her to attack us. We won, but she died, and that's when I realized who she was. Right after that they banned Lloyd from the village. But it was all my fault so I decided to go with him."

Mithos looked down, "I…see. I heard that your village…that most of the buildings got destroyed. But I didn't know how. And…I'm sorry."

I smiled, placing a hand on his arm, "Like I said, it's not your fault…and you said you didn't even _know_. So…so…don't worry about it. More importantly, how exactly are you planning on getting that off that vase?"

Mithos turned to look at the ancient artifact in his hands, muttering something that sounded like ancient elvish under his breath. I watched in fascination, the metal seemed to just fall off. It also didn't look as old as it did before.

"There, now we can use it. Here," he got up suddenly at stood behind me, "let's see if this fits first."

"Um…"

I heard a faint 'click' noise, and I felt the cool metal against my neck.

"Well it fits…now to put the feather on it…" he unhooked the metal from around my throat and quickly inspected the front of it. Now I really had to wonder how he was going to attach that feather…

"I think I have an idea. But for it to work we need to melt some of the metal, while keeping the rest of it cool."

I blinked, "And how are we supposed to do that?"

He shook his head, "I know I can melt this, but…I might need some help. This is a two person job."

"Then I'll be happy to help."

"But you're still--"

I shook my head, "I'll help. I may be tired, but that doesn't mean I can't cast a simple spell. Besides, I know some elven spells too. So I'm sure I can help."

Mithos looked worried, but only for a split second, "Fine, if you think you'll be okay, then I'll trust you. But if you feel tired, let me know."

I smiled, "I'll be fine, and it's just one spell right? I need to keep it cold while you need to keep it hot?"

He nodded his head.

"Then it shouldn't take too long!"

He sighed and nodded his head again, "Fine, fine," he smiled, "You're just too cute sometimes…especially when you're happy."

I flushed and looked away, grabbing his feather as I did so, "Thanks…um…let's get started." I turned back to face him, holding out the rainbow colored feather. He took it from my hands and held it up to where he wanted it on the choker. He then held his fingers to that one spot, murmuring a word in elven, and the metal quickly began to glow.

I scooted closer to him, placing my hands on the metal as well. It was warm, yes, but it didn't hurt. I closed my eyes, concentrating on the spell I _knew_ would instantly cool off the metal.

"Okay Genis, now." I heard Mithos whisper.

I squeezed my eyes shut even more, and bit my lip as I felt some of my mana draining out of me. But when I felt the coolness of the metal under my fingers, telling me that the spell had worked, I sighed in relief.

"Whew…well, it's done right?"

Mithos nodded his head, slipping the choker back around my neck, snapping it shut.

"There. Your 'collar' is finished." He said with a smirk.

I flushed, "O-okay that's just…that's just _not_ funny anymore…" I touched the feather that was now embedded in the metal, "But thank you."

"You're welcome."

---------------------------

Aprils' POV

"And how exactly are we going to do that?" Sheena asked from beside me, sounding annoyed.

And I had to agree with her. How were we going to show proof of her pact with the summon Spirits? That…I didn't even know if you _could_ show proof.

But that's what the tablet said, so we must be able to…somehow.

Raine shook her head, "Don't you remember? When we made the pacts with the summon spirits all those times, wasn't there an item we received? Something that showed we made the pact successfully?"

Sheena tilted her head to the side, "Um…"

Yuan sighed in annoyance.

And Colette, too, seemed to be thinking hard. I then noticed the ring she was wearing, it was a beautiful ruby color.

Wait…

"Were they, by any chance, a form of jewelry?" I asked, looking over at Raine, who nodded her head.

"Yes, rings. Like the one you're wearing, Colette."

"Oh! That's right!"

"And I'm wearing the one for Undine."

"Yeah, and the one I have is--"

Suddenly the tablet started glowing, and a strange figure started forming in the air above it.

When the light ebbed away, my eyes widened, there, floating in front of us, was an old man with a huge book in one of his hands, and a staff in the other.

"Ah, my, it seems like it's been forever since someone came to see me." The old man stated, looking at us with his beady brown eyes, which were, to say the least, slightly unnerving.

"Um…you're…Maxwell right?" Colette asked, looking slightly shocked as well.

"Yes the one and only. And you," He pointed his staff at Sheena, "Are the new pact maker, correct?"

Sheena gulped and nodded her head, "Yes, my name is Sheena…and…wait, 'new pact maker'? You've already made a pact with someone?"

Maxwell nodded his head, "Why yes, Mithos and I had a pact. I didn't like him very much, he wasn't exactly sane in the mind either. Ah-ha-ha-ha that's why I keep Exire floating though." He turned to face Yuan, "And you, you were with him. My you haven't aged a bit."

Yuan just shook his head, "I don't know whether to take that as a compliment, or to be repulsed by it."

And I highly doubted that that was the right thing to say to him…

"Hmph, and you're just as rude as he was. But that doesn't matter now. You wish to make a pact with me, correct?"

Sheena nodded her head.

"And I see that you've already made a pact with Origin, well, I suppose you're good enough…"

"So we don't have to fight?" Sheena asked hopefully.

Maxwell laughed, "Ah well, no we don't but…what the heck, why not? I want to see how good this old man is," he pointed his staff at Yuan, laughing still.

Yuan's eyes twitched, and suddenly, in a flash of light, his sword-looking-weapon was in his hands.

And his cape was gone…

"I am _not_ old. Don't you _dare_ say that." Yuan stated, looking quite calm, except for that there was a…strange glint…in his eyes…

That wasn't good.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha…yes you are old—agh!"

I blinked, what just happened?

I didn't have to wait long to figure it out though. Yuan had, to put it simply, knocked Maxwell to the ground…with some sort of attack…that I didn't see.

"And just how old are you?" the blue haired man asked, still seeming as calm as ever, not moving an inch from where he stood.

"Ah-ha-ha! I suppose I'm pretty old as well. But don't think just because I'm old I'll go easy on you!"

Sheena drew her cards, "Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"Ah-ha-ha-ha! Well we'll just have to wait and see! Now who exactly will I be going up against?"

"Of course you'll be going up against me," Sheena stated, raising her cards a bit higher.

"And I won't let that _comment_ fly without a fight." Yuan took a step closer, running his free hand through his bangs.

"I'll help out as well. It would be in my best interest to have something to do instead of sit around." Raine said, gripping her staff tighter and moving forward.

"I guess, um, I guess I can help out as well!" Colette drew her chack-rams, her pinkish purple angel wings appearing on her back.

"I see I see…hmm this should get interesting, ah-ha-ha-ha!"

He pointed his staff up at the sky, a magic circle appearing under him, the pages in the old book in his hand flipping as if blown by the wind.

"METEOR STORM!" he bellowed out…

And suddenly the ground started shaking, meteors, quite literally, falling from the sky onto the battle field.

I _really_ think I should move now…

-----------------------------

Lloyds POV

"Zelos!" I ran over to where Zelos lay, moving him so that I could see his face. It was extremely pale and his arms…were very warm.

"Zelos? What's…?"

"Lloyd watch out!" I looked up at Kratos' warning, ducking just in time as the weird monster swooped down once more, barely missing my head.

"Kratos, can you heal Zelos?"

Kratos gave me a weird look, "After he tried to attack me?"

"But his hands…! There really hot, and his tattoo's might have made him do that."

"Those really aren't…normal tattoo's." Presea stated, shaking her head from side to side. Was it just me or was her face even more flushed than it usually was?

"I think we already know that Presea, but if what you say is true, then yes I will heal him." Kratos moved forward, bending down to Zelos' other side. He murmured a few words under his breath, before crying out, "Healing Wind!"

A gentle wind swept over us as the healing did its work. The only problem was…it didn't seem to be working. Zelos was still not waking up.

"I…don't think…it worked but…" I smiled when I saw the color rush back to the redheads face, his facial expression content, "I think it helped…a little bit. Thanks Kratos."

_'Why am I still referring to him as Kratos? He's my dad…and I need to accept that…' _

I couldn't help but notice the slightly sad look in Kratos' eyes as I said that. But I shook that away as the monster came hurtling back at us.

I drew my double blades, and swung them both forward, hitting the bird directly in its chest area.

But it didn't seem to be affected.

"Crap! It isn't working!"

"No it isn't…I think I should try magic to see if that has any affect on it."

I nodded my head, "Okay then, we'll block you, right guys?" I turned to face Regal and Presea, they both nodded their heads, readying their weapons and getting into position.

As the monster turned back around, attempting to run at us again, Regal blocked it, kicking it and crying out, "Crescent Moon!" in unison with Presea.

Finally, whatever spell Kratos had been chanting was done, and he released it.

Pillars of light shone down afterwards, ramming the monster into the earth, causing its wings to make sickening 'snap' as they made contact with the ground.

Which made me yet again wonder exactly what kind of monster that was.

What's worse is that the monster…was getting back up again.

But it didn't attack…it just…flew off…?

"What?"

"It…ran away…"

"Hmm, I believe we must have shown it who was stronger."

I grinned, "So does that mean it won't bug us anymore?"

Kratos nodded his head, "Yes. Now let's get going. I'm sure the others are waiting."

I nodded my head, maneuvering so that I could pick Zelos up, only to find out that…

He was way heavier than I thought.

"Ugh…"

"Here, let me help." Regal said, moving to the other side of Zelos, and moving so that one arm was over his shoulder and one was over mine.

I smiled, "Thanks."

"Are you ready now?" Kratos asked, his angel wings already out, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Yeah, we are…um…but how are we going to get him on a rhieard?"

"I would suggest not having him ride one, but that really…isn't possible. So I would assume he should ride with someone."

"Yes, that seems to be the safest way…right now."

I nodded my head, "Okay then, he'll ride with me. Now let's go, I'm sure Raine and the others are already there."

"As I said, I'm sure the others are waiting." Kratos then lifted into the air, "I'll go on ahead. Just make sure the Chosen doesn't fall off."

But why did he sound like he didn't mean that? He sounded like he actually wanted Zelos to fall off…

"Don't worry he won't."

"Hmph."

And then Kratos took off. Presea and Regal both watched as I, somehow, got Zelos onto my Rhieard. I put the extra Rhieard into the wing pack, and then got onto the Rhieard right behind Zelos. I wasn't sure how, but I reached the controls, and I lifted off as well.

-------------------------------------

Mitosu's POV (Le gasp)

The wind whipped through my hair, occasionally blowing it in my face, from which I had to quickly move it out of the way again. My eyes narrowed as we passed through a particularly thick grouping of clouds. I could almost _feel_ the electricity running through them.

I turned to face Pronyma, who was floating idly beside me, still looking pale from earlier. And who wouldn't be? My hand clenched, "Are you okay?"

she turned to face me with a sad expression on her face, "Yes I'm fine…for now. I'm still a little…shaken though."

I nodded my head, "Yes, it's hard to believe Neo contacted us at a time like that."

Pronyma shook her head, "No…it's not that…I can understand why she did it. You were getting out of hand. And you _know_ what we came here for. You _know_ that."

I shook my head, "Yes you're right, I do. But we can't _get_ what we came here for—we can't get Genis if we don't at least fight some."

"But you do realize if peace doesn't come for the people in this world, then Reti'thera will still be at peace?"

I rolled my eyes, "You don't have to continue telling me something I already know."

Pronyma shrugged, "But I will anyway since you seem to 'forget' at the most convenient times."

"I do not."

"Yes, yes you do."

I opened my mouth to say something more, but then she smiled…

"We're almost there, I can feel it. They're close by…in Exire."

"But why Exire?"

"The safe place for half-elves, the only place that doesn't truly know what's going on," she shook her head, "they think they're safe there, when they really aren't."

My eyes narrowed, "Oh really? And you're _just fine_ with possibly killing your own kind?"

"Oh we won't kill them, we'll just take Genis hostage, and then you can kill the others when they try to run after him again."

I shook my head, flapping my midnight black angel wings to fight against the suddenly strong current of wind, "and you're…the one…who told me not to fight?"

Pronyma didn't answer, and honestly, I wasn't expecting her to. So I turned back to face forward, finally breaking through another particularly dense cloud. It was going to storm soon, and it was best that we get wherever we were going before that happened.

It still unnerved me though, that Neo knew where I was…and what I had been doing. She never liked it when I fought, and I still remember the way she punished Jiniasu for his crime…it still made me queasy to think about it.

'_And when I get back, she's probably going to be twice as mad at me.'_ I thought to myself.

'_Why wouldn't she be? I 'awakened' possibly one of our greatest enemy's…the only enemy that could possibly change the tides for the war…my enemy…Zerasu…' _

I sighed again, quickening my pace as a crash of thunder sounded somewhere in the distance. I watched as the clouds below us, as well as above us, started to darken.

I guess we will be caught in the rain…

-------------------------------------------

**Me: **Heh…I can't believe I did that…

**April: **Did what? You mean add in Mitosu's POV? Well, I was _wondering_ what they were doing…and you do realize that they were supposed to show up in this chapter anyway.

**Me: **That's true, but I actually did his _POV_!

**April: **But that's a good thing right? I mean, he is one of the major villans in the sequel…so you're going to have to do his POV at some time anyway…

**Me: **Well that's true, I guess. Now then, I have some news for my readers: I'm going to be taking a few tests in the next two weeks or so, one's a writing exam, and the other's are Graduation Exams, so I don't know how much time I'll be on the computer…but hopefully nothing'll change.

**April: **Yes, but it's sad that you have an exam on your birthday.

**Me: **Yeah…-cough- well, anyway, R&R please! I had this chapter done a bit early, so I might just start on the next chapter if I get reviews!


	50. Time in Exire: Coming to an End Pt 1

**Me: **And here's…TU…part…50! Wow…fifty chapters…already…

**Feral: **Yes already, it's been, what, 9 months (maybe) since you started TU?

**Me: **Somewhere around that. And of course I'm sorry for the late update! I had exams one week, my birthday the following week, and then we've had computer/PS2 problems this week (my spring break) that we didn't expect. So yeah, not a good week for me…

**Feral: **Yes that's definitely true.

**To Understand: Part Fifty**

**Time in Exire: Coming to an End Part 1**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**Viaroura Fox-**I'm glad you liked Mitosu's POV (and I'm glad I put it in). As for if Mithos can fend them both off. Well, he may just have to...eventually. Now then, here's the newest chapter! Enjoy!

**LittleLinor-**I had a feeling you'd like his POV. And yes it does seem to make him more human...even though he isn't human. So would that make him more half-elf...? Also yes you'll hear more from him and yes Mithos seems to like that certain joke a little too much. But now he has to watch out for, dun, dun, dun! Fangirls! -cough- uh, yeah, anyways here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

**Alaia Skyhawk- **I'm glad you liked the bit of fluff at the beginning, there's a bit of that in this too (at the beginning of Genis' POV). I'm also glad you liked Mitosu's POV--I might actually put one more POV of him...somewhere. And you will see his POV in the sequel (or at least that's what I have planned so far). Now here's the newest chapter! Enjoy!

**Feral: **So…this is the chapter where everything gets wrapped up, right?

**Me: **Yes, at least that's what I'm hoping.

**Feral: **You never do know with these sorts of things, do you?

**Me: **Yeah…

**Feral: **Hmm, well, we all already know you don't own what you don't own and you do own what you do own…so yeah, need I say more…?

**Authors Note: **No, Feral, you don't. Well then, in this chapter Sheena and her group finish the pact with Maxwell and shortly afterwards they head off to the Mayors house to hear what he knows about Raine's parents. Also Genis decides to go out around this time. Of course he finds out his sister has arrived in Exire, and hears she's at the Mayors house, so he goes there…

**Feral: **…and he overhears the conversation doesn't he?

**Me: **Hmm…I wonder, does he?

**--------------------------------------**

Raine's POV

I watched as Yuan, once more, swung his sword and in a blinding flash of light--that reflected off his sword, thus, nearly binding us--he 'defeated' Maxwell. The Summon Spirit hung in the air for a few more seconds before collapsing onto the ground. He gripped his staff-like weapon, using it as I kind of cane, and staggered to where he was looking at all of us.

He then started laughing, "My, my you really aren't as old as I thought you were--to still have _that much_ energy left!" He floated into the air again, pointing his staff at Yuan, who scowled.

I honestly felt sorry for him…but Maxwell was right, Yuan was old, four thousand years old, but that didn't mean he had gotten older physically. After all, how can someone look four thousand years old?

I shuddered at the thought.

"-course I do. I may be four thousand years old, but my looks, as well as my stamina, is from a 28 year old." Yuan stated, crossing his arms over his chest, his cape, which had somehow reappeared, swayed in the wind.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha! Of course, now then, make your pact Sheena!"

"Oh--um…r-right! I Sheena have but one wish: Reunite the Two worlds…"

Maxwell nodded his head, "That's good enough," he paused looking at them all, "But why, may I ask, did you come to make a pact with me? Exire will fall…"

"Then keep it up!" we all answered in unison.

It would be bad if this sanctuary fell, because it was right over the ocean. I can only imagine the amount of damage it would do…because Exire is big and it would _obviously_ cause waves. Not to mention everyone on Exire would be dead…or wounded severely.

Maxwell just laughed, "Okay! Okay! Ah-ha-ha-ha, you look so serious, ah, but it can't be helped," he wiped a tear from his eye, "Now what else do you want from me? Besides the pact?" he looked around, "It's obvious from your expressions that you're intent on doing _something_."

Sheena stepped forward, "Actually, ah, yes, there is something…we need you, or someone else needs you, to do. Or, um, know I guess?" she turned to face Yuan, "You know more about this than I do!"

_'Well that's true. He probably does know more about what Mithos wants to ask him than anyone else does here.' _

I watched silently as Yuan nodded his head, "Yes I guess I do know more. Maxwell," his voice had suddenly become louder, more controlling, "I'm sure you remember Mithos."

Maxwells eyes narrowed, "Yes…I believe I do. Why? What does he want from me?"

"Hnn, you're still smart for being around as long as you have. Yes he wants something from you, but it's not what you think."

I watched as Maxwell tightened his grip on his staff, "Then what _does_ he want?"

Yuan shrugged, "He wanted Sheena to make the pact with you, and then he wanted to ask you something."

"And what is that something?"

Yuan opened his mouth to speak, but then close it, "I believe he would have a better way of explaining it. And besides it's his friends idea to begin with."

Maxwell just stared at him, "Friend?" he asked, sounding like he didn't believe him. That's when I had to speak up.

"Yes friend. His friend is my younger brother."

Maxwell turned to face me, and I could feel the swell of mana in his gaze, "I see. What's his name?"

"Ah--Genis Sage."

"I see. Ah-ha-ha, I guess I won't be able to get out of this, so I might as well go along with this. Okay then, bring him here!"

"But we don't even know where he is." Colette muttered, blushing, "A-and besides, Raine needs to talk to the mayor and Genis could still be asleep."

"Hum, well that's not good. Okay then," Maxwell raised his staff in the air, a shining glow emitting from its tip, "Call me with this when you get a chance to see Mithos and this boy named Genis." He disappeared, leaving a beautiful ring with a turquoise stone in the center.

Sheena caught it and sighed, "Well if he says so, okay." She looked over at me, "We should head to the Mayors house right? He should know where Genis is staying."

I nodded my head, "Yes, and I'm curious to find out what he knows about my family."

We turned and walked back down the long pathway back to the Mayors house. With each step I gripped my staff harder and harder. I didn't know why I was afraid, I wanted to find out who my parents were and why they abandoned me and Genis.

_'I just hope Genis doesn't find out…'_

------------------

Genis' POV

"Genis are you sure?" Mithos asked me for about the fifth time and I just nodded my head smiling up at him. He still looked worried, "I mean are you really sure? What if Raine and your friends find out where you're staying and come looking for you? You know it's possible."

I nodded my head, "Yeah I know, but you got a chance to look around Exire but I didn't. So I want you to show me around."

He shook his head, "Well I haven't seen much of Exire--"

"But…but you're the one that made it so that it was _floating_ you _have_ seen it before." My smile widened as he sighed.

"Fine, fine, I'll show you around. But it's gotten a lot bigger since the last time I've been here. Don't expect me to know where everything is. Four thousand years is a long time, you know. Things can change."

I shook my head, "No really? Now come on!"

"Don't blame me if we're mobbed by fangirls." He muttered under his breath, making me turn to face him.

"What?"

He shook his head, "Nothing. Just don't blame me for anything that happens, and if you feel even the slightest bit tired tell me."

I nodded my head again, "Okay!"

Then he smiled and began laughing.

I blinked, "What…? Why are you laughing? What's so funny?"

He stopped laughing and leaned forward, "You are."

"M-Me? Why…?"

"You're too cute."

I flushed at this, "Wh-why…wh-why is…" I took a deep breath, trying to calm my stuttering, "Why is that funny?" I looked back up at the blonde boy in front of me and he chuckled.

"Because you're excited. You're cute when you're excited. I've never seen you like this before so it's only natural for me to think it's cute." He stepped in past me and opened the front door to the building we had been staying in, "Now where do you want to go first?"

I looked around, "W-Well…actually, um, I guess that way." I pointed to the pathway leading away from the three story building, "Because if we wanted to go the other way we'd have to go back inside and climb stairs wouldn't we?"

Mithos nodded his head, "Yes that's true." He touched the stone-like structure that held up part of the walkway for the third floor, "I remember there used to be a beautiful garden near here. Weddings were held her often between 'taboo' couples."

I smiled, "I…see. That was back when Exire still thrived on the surface, right?"

Mithos nodded his head again, tucking a strand of his blonde hair behind his ear, "Yeah…"

He looked really sad.

"Um, but, you know, if Raine and the others are here, and if they completed the pact with Maxwell, then maybe one day when this world is at peace we could make it so Exire was on the ground again."

His eyes narrowed, "Maybe. Now let's go before--"

He was cut off when someone shouted from the above pathway, "Hey! Hey! It's Mithos! Hey Mithos!"

Mithos flinched.

And suddenly the figure, a very familiar looking girl with blonde hair and blue-green eyes jumped down…

Crashing into the grassy walkway behind us.

"Oww…" she sat up, rubbing her head before standing up shakily, "Hey Mithos! And you must be Genis." She said with a bright smile, "You might not know me but I helped pick out the outfit you're both wearing now! My name's Amy! I work with Mandy at the fabric store that way!" she pointed in the direction from where she had come.

I just nodded my head; "I-it's nice to meet you too Amy." I looked back at Mithos, who seemed annoyed, "Um, Mithos was just about to show me around--"

"--And I'm sure you need to run an errand for Mandy." Mithos stepped forward, and some how got behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder, "So I guess we'll be seeing you around."

He squeezed my shoulder gently, and whispered in my ear, "Let's go." Before turning and walking off down the pathway. I, of course, followed. But when we got about halfway down the walkway I heard a loud, high-pitched squeal.

"Is she okay?" I asked, watching as Mithos quickened his pace.

"Like I said beware of the fangirls."

"F-fangirls…? Oh-oh…um, so she's a fangirl…?" I felt a shiver run down my spine, "Do you think she'll tell her friends?"

"If she has any yes, which she most likely does, then yes she probably will tell them about us."

I felt my stomach sink, well, not my stomach but I had a weird sinking feeling inside when he said that, "T-tell them that we both decided to come out?"

"Yes that and if they notice," he turned around abruptly, nearly making me run into him, "that we're together then who knows what'll happen."

"I--that…that's…" I looked down at my feet, feeling my cheeks redden yet again, "That's not good. I at least wanted to tell Raine myself. I don't think--um, actually I don't know what to think. I haven't exactly seen much of her for the past few days."

Mithos laughed, cupping the side of my face with his hand, "Of course you haven't, and it's not your fault. We'll figure out a way to tell her about us soon. But I think now isn't the time especially since no she hasn't gotten used to us becoming friends again. Or at least she hasn't yet."

I nodded my head, "O-okay. But we have to tell her soon, okay?"

He nodded his head.

"Promise?"

Mithos smiled, "I promise."

I smiled back, "And when Martel's revived, then we can tell her too! That is if she doesn't already know."

Mithos opened his mouth to say something, and would have if someone else hadn't spoken.

"Oh my, you must be the two new half-elves in town." The person who spoke had long wavy reddish-brown hair and beautiful purple eyes. He, or she, was wearing a long robe-like outfit that hid their body. It was a dark grey, almost black, and it had an even darker design around the hood outlined in white.

"Well yes I suppose you could say we're new here." Mithos stated, turning to face this woman, man, whatever gender they were, "But why do you care?"

The man, woman, shook his/her head, "I just find it strange that we've been getting so many visitors lately. I heard some villagers talking about it as well. They said some humans, as well as another half-elf came by."

My eyes widened, "Wh-what? Another half-elf?"

The man/woman nodded his/her head, "Yes, you sound surprised though."

"No it's just I think we may know who you're talking about. Do you have any idea where they went?"

The man/woman shook his/her head, "No I don't. I only just arrived here myself. But I'm sure you can ask around."

I nodded my head, "Ah, th-thank you, um…what's your name?"

The man/woman shook his/her head, "I doubt we'll see each other again, but my name is--"

Just then two villagers walked by, "Did you hear? The Mayor's actually speaking to humans! Can you believe it?" one man stated to the other.

The second man shook his head, "I know it's a bit of a shock, but they looked like okay humans to me. And they had a half-elf with them so I'm sure they aren't going to hurt us."

The continued walking, not even paying attention to us, and I smiled, "I think I know where my sister is now."

I felt a hand on my head then, and looked up. The man/woman was smiling, "That's wonderful. I'm sure she's probably worried about you if you came here before her. Now I think I should be going too. I'm supposed to be meeting with a woman named Belle."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's on a request from a friend of mine…" the man/woman sighed, "but I think another friend of mine might be coming here as well, but don't ask me how. I have no idea."

"Then how did you get here?"

The man/woman blinked, "Oh, by a Rhieard. My friend knows someone who works for a man named Yuan. And apparently Yuan is the only one who has Rhieards so he gave me one." He/she bowed to us, "Now I really have to be going."

He/she turned and walked away.

A few seconds passed before a smile broke out on my face, "That person was nice."

Mithos nodded his head, "Yes, maybe…"

I couldn't help noticing that he looked worried, though.

"I'm going to go see Raine now." I turned and started to walk through the crowd.

"Ah-Genis!"

I smiled, an idea suddenly forming in my head, "Try an' catch me!"

And then I took off.

It actually surprised me how quickly I got to the Mayors house. It was only one platform and one flight of stone steps away. It took me a matter of minutes to get there.

I walked up to it, panting. I felt a bit dizzy, but nothing resting couldn't cure. I reached my hand out to turn the door knob, before noticing that it was ajar. Someone must have come in a few minutes ago and forgot to close the door.

_'Well I can't just go barging in. Who _knows_ what they're talking about.' _I looked around and noticed a small wrap-around walkway that led behind the Mayors house. I followed it until I found a window. I peeked through it and saw that everyone, minus me and Mithos of course, was there, in the room facing the mayor.

It surprised me, though, when I heard the mayors voice. He was holding up a book, "This is her journal." He stated, handing the book to Raine who took it carefully in her hands.

I had to wonder who 'her' was.

_'I guess I'll find out by listening.'_

She looked surprised, "Really?"

The mayor nodded his head, "Yes. It should tell you more in depth about the things you have questions on."

Raine sighed, "Yes but, how much do _you_ know about them? Genis and I…our parents, how much do you know about them?"

My eyes widened,_ 'Our parents? But Raine said they died!'_

The Mayor looked away, thankfully he didn't notice me, "They…we found them in a woods…I don't remember where, but we were getting supplies when we found them. Your mother, Virginia, was almost unconscious…your father…" I watched as his hand balled into a fist, "Your mother said he was murdered."

Everyone in the room gasped.

But I felt cold.

"R-Really…I-I should have known someone would want him dead…"

The mayor shook his head, "Yes he was murdered, but," he looked up at Raine, "you must promise not to tell Genis this, he's still young…"

Raine shook his head, "I know that. And yes I will keep whatever it is you say a secret."

"But Raine!" Colette cried out, "He--"

"He doesn't need to know what I'm about to tell you."

"And that would be…?"

"He was murdered yes, but we found strange markings on him after he died. There was a tattoo, similar to the one on your hands, Chosen, found on his arm. But that's not the main reason why you shouldn't tell Genis about this. We buried your father here because we had nowhere else to bury him, and we had no idea who his family was."

The mayor paused after this, closing his eyes momentarily. But…but…

_'I'm in the same city that my father was buried in. His grave--'_

My thoughts were interrupted when the Mayor spoke again.

"And your mother, she…"

"Yes…?" Raine's voice was barely over a whisper.

"Your mother is still alive. She's in this village. But she's…mentally ill."

That made me snap.

Raine, when I would see her again she would know all of this and she would keep it a secret from me. _Everyone _would keep it a secret from me.

_'Come to think of it, does Mithos know about this? He was talking to the Mayor when I woke up…' _

I shakily got up and moved away from the window, retracing my steps back around the mayors house and out to the center of the platform his home was located on.

That's when I saw Mithos. He was over by a tree, looking around with a worried expression on his face. His eyes fell on my and he smiled, quickly walking over to me, "Genis! Where were you? I was so worried when I couldn't find you…" he paused, "Are you okay…?"

I shook my head, "No I'm not. Mithos," I looked up at him and he nodded his head, "I want to ask you something. I want to ask you something and please don't lie."

"You know I wouldn't lie to you again. I already did and it nearly killed me. What is it that you want to know?"

"Did the Mayor, or anyone else, tell you that my mother was here?"

Mithos froze and I felt my chest tighten.

"Y-yes…I knew. You overheard it didn't you?" Mithos asked. He looked sad, "No one wanted you to find out because--"

"Because what? I was too young to understand?" I was nearly shouting at him, but I couldn't help it. Mithos wasn't supposed to keep things from me anymore. I stepped back, "I thought you said you wouldn't lie anymore. You aren't supposed to keep anything from me anymore."

"Because Genis it would have _hurt_ you."

I heard the truth in those words, I would have had to been deaf if I hadn't. But I backed away from him anyway. I turned and ran away from him, even though I knew he was probably right.

After all I _was_ hurting right now.

And the hurting was just getting even worse the farther I ran.

Before I knew it, everything was in such a haze that I couldn't remember much, I was nearing the edge of Exire. It was quiet, a calm kind of quiet. I nearly collapsed when I stopped, and I slowly looked around.

I had no idea where I was, of course that had to be because I've never been in Exire the whole time I've been in Tethe'alla, but I probably wouldn't know how to get back to where I had been. Not that I wanted to go back there now.

I looked around me, and sighed. This platform was smaller than the rest. There was a large tree on one side and the other side looked out over the ocean. I made my way over to the large tree, and would have leaned against it, if something behind it hadn't caught my eye.

It was a large stone-like structure. I reached a hand out and touched it. It was too smooth to be a regular, nature-made stone…but then who would have made something like this and placed it behind a tree? If it was a piece of artwork then this was definitely an odd place for it to be.

I walked around to look at it from the other side, and gasped.

There printed in neat, elvish lettering, was the name…a name that seemed a little too familiar…and yet it…it…

"It can't be…"

I read what it said over again.

"K-Kloitz Sage. This was…this…was…"

I fell to the ground, and felt the tears I had been holding back suddenly start up. They fell down my cheeks and they burned.

_'This is my fathers grave. But I…I always thought my parents were dead so I shouldn't be crying right? Why am I crying…?'_

I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist from behind, pulling me against the body that they belonged to.

"Shh, Genis, it's okay."

It was Mithos.

I tried to push him away but his grip only tightened, "It's okay, Genis. You can be mad. You can cry. I'm right here…even if you don't want me to be here." His voice was just as soothing as it had always been. Even though I _was_ angry like he said, it made me stop being angry.

After all, how could I stay mad at him for long? It didn't seem possible. It wasn't even possible when I had found out he betrayed us.

Back then it had just made me sad.

I finally leaned into his hold, shifting around so that I could bury my head in his chest. I felt so tired, and my tears seemed to just dry up even though I was still sad. I stayed in his arms for a few minutes until, well, until something I can only describe as odd happened.

_'Genis! Help!'_

I jumped and Mithos jumped as well.

"What is it Genis? He asked, as I looked around.

"It's…" I looked up at Mithos, "It's Feral! I hear Feral!"

His eyes widened, "What? Where is she?"

_'I'm with Pronyma! She's coming with Mitosu!'_

----------------------------

**Me: **-cough- and there you have it, the oh so annoying cliffhanger! Ah, I mean, chapter/part 50!

**Feral: **And the next part is the real conclusion to Exire, right?

**Me: **Yeah. I couldn't fit it all in this chapter, and this felt like just the time to cut it off…for some reason.

**Feral: **Well then you should get started on the next Chapter. After all, I make an appearance again after I don't know how long.

**Me: **Ah-ha-ha, yeah you do. Now then R&R! More reviews equal a faster update! I'm serious this time! So yeah, anyone who wants to review, even if it's just to say continue, please review! That way I'll be forced to write this even if I don't feel like it! (Then again I would feel like writing it if I got enough reviews…)


	51. Time in Exire: Coming to an End Pt 2

**Me: **And here's Chapter 51!

**April: **and the end of the Exire arc…

**Me: **Yeah, that too…

**To Understand: Part Fifty-one**

**Time in Exire: Coming to an End part 2**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Yes Poor Genis, not only is he hurt, but now he's upset at Mithos. Don't worry though, that'll all be resolved at the end of this chapter. As for if Mitosu will get the crap beaten out of him, it'll come, yes, but not in this chapter. You'll have to wait a bit longer. Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

**Hiranieas-**I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and here's the update you've been waiting for! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Moonshine's Guide-**Yes it's a cliffhanger, possibly one of my better cliffhangers for TU, I'm glad you like this story and the way I write the pairing it always makes me happy to hear/read someone say that. And yes you're right that a lot of the characters have said Genis acts like his father, and Kloitz, from something that I read once, has black hair and purple eyes so no Genis doesn't look a lot like him, but I'm sure if he ever does meet Virginia she will comment on how he acts like her late husband. As for if he'll meet her, I can't really say. Now then, I'm glad that you liked the last chapter, and here's the next one--enjoy!

**April: **Ah, well, I was wondering…

**Me: **Hmm?

**April: **Where is everyone going after this?

**Me: **Oh you'll see.

**Mithos: **we're going to the hotsprings aren't we?

**Me: **Mithos…what are you doing here?

**Mithos: **I was asking a question.

**Me: **Fine yes you are.

**Mithos: **-smirk- yay! I get to see Genis--uh -blush- no…nevermind, I'm leaving…-disappears-

**April: **Um, well, Harmony283 doesn't own ToS or any of its characters. She does however own any OC's that appear, and of course, the plot.

**Authors Note: **Mithos has to remember to keep it 'T' rated, since that _is_ what I put this fic under rating wise. Anyway, Mithos is right, the next place they're going after Exire is the Hotsprings. Why? Because, as you know from the last chapter, Mitosu and Pronyma show up, and Genis will, most likely, get hurt along with Mithos.

**April: **So basically they're going there to rest up before making the Mana…Crest, thing…

**Me: **-nod- yup, that's basically it.

**April: **Now on with the chapter!

**--------------------------------------**

Mithos' POV

I stared down at Genis in disbelief, "What?"

Genis nodded his head, "She says she's with Pronyma and Mitosu. And…and the only way I can hear her is if she's close by." He looked really worried, which in turn made me even more anxious.

That obviously meant Pronyma was close by. And if, most likely if, Mitosu was with her that'd mean--

"Stay behind me."

"What?"

"Stay…behind…me." I looked down at him, smiling lightly, "I don't want them to take you away again." I pulled him closer to me and he struggled.

_'Well he's still mad at me, I can tell that much for sure.' _

I let out a sigh, "Will you stop it? I--"

"Stop what? My back…you're touching my wound!"

I loosened my grip immediately as he said that, bowing my head apologetically, "I'm sorry I thought--"

He raised an eye brow and grinned, "That I was still mad at you? I guess I am a little, but right now isn't really the time for that." Right as he said that the look on his face soured.

"What is it? Did Feral say something?"

Genis blushed and looked away, "Yeah she said something. And they're--Mitosu and Pronyma--are already here. It'll be a few minutes, but everyone else _should_ notice. I-I don't want you to fight them on your own. You already know your magic won't work on Mitosu!"

I pulled him closer to me, placing my forehead on his own, "Hmm, really? The last time I tried to fight him I didn't have my Cruxis Crystal. I do now."

The look on his face didn't change though, and he was silent for a few seconds. When he finally spoke again, it was barely above a whisper, "I…don't know. If that's really the same person then," he turned around in my arms to look at the grave, "Does that mean…my father was the same person as that man that--"

Suddenly a mass of dark magic swirled towards us.

Genis turned around quickly and I grabbed him, pushing him down to the ground below. Just as I did this the ball of black magic disintegrated, sprinkling over us like cold rain.

I looked down at Genis as I felt him shudder. He was blushing and avoiding my gaze, "Genis? What's wrong…? Are you okay?"

He shook his head as much as he could in his current state, "I--my shoulders, you're hurting my shoulders."

I blinked and looked at my hands. They were against each of his shoulders, pushing him, and keeping him, pinned to the ground. I lifted them and he sat up.

"I'm sorry."

He rubbed one shoulder; "It's fine. But…where did that magic come from? It looks like something--" he let out a gasp and grabbed his head, "Oww…!"

"Genis?! Genis, what's wrong? Is it Feral?"

He nodded his head, "Y-yeah but she's…ugh…she's in pain…"

This surprised me, "In pain? You can…feel her pain?"

He nodded his head, "Well yeah, we are connected…somehow." He winced, "And she said Pronyma's doing it. She isn't sure how though. I mean, no one but me can get in to where she is…" then his eyes widened, "No, it's not that…"

I blinked, "Then what is that?"

Genis shook his head, "She's trying to do what she did before. She's trying to make the other Feral come out. Pronyma wants her to take control of me again." He moved backwards until he hit the stone structure behind him. He looked afraid, very afraid.

But why wouldn't he be? The last time the 'other' Feral took over, he had attacked me. I didn't want that.

"Genis, is there any way you or Feral can fight it?"

He nodded his head, "That's what she's doing now. I-I don't know how much I can help her, but it feels like she's trying to push something away so I guess I can help her. But the only way I can get to where she is--"

"--is if you fall asleep, or pass out, yeah I know." I sighed, "But how are we going to do that?"

Genis shook his head faster this time, "She says I don't have to do anything, that I can help her like I am now. But you need to block me if--"

"If anyone attacks."

He scowled, "Stop finishing my sentences for me."

I grinned, "But its' fun." Suddenly a…someone with an immensely dark aura landed behind me. I turned around slowly, and there, on the other side of the small platform was my look alike.

Mitosu.

I clenched my fist, "Genis, stay here."

"Oh and you think I won't?"

I shook my head and stood up, walking out from behind the safety of the tree to face the dark version of me. A sickening smile spread across my others face. His yellow eyes flashed and I could have sworn that they had gotten darker…

"So you decide to show yourself." He looked behind me and grinned, "And your boyfriend isn't with you, how sad." He shook his, "Not that that's important right now, I _will_ get him eventually. But first," he raised his hand, and suddenly there was a sword made of some type of black flame in his hand, "I get rid of you."

I shook my head, "Joy. Where's Pronyma?"

"She's somewhere else. Now then," He pointed his sword at me, "Will you fight me here or not?"

--------------------------

Lloyd's POV

I…couldn't believe it. I just _couldn't_ believe it. Okay, yeah some pretty weird stuff had happened when the Tower of Salvation collapsed, but now…

This was even stranger.

"It…what _is_ it?" I asked softly, staring at the object in Zelos' hands. It, well, I knew what it was. It was the locket that I had found back in Welgaia, but the wings that had been folded on it, the wings that looked to be made of stone, were now fully spread as if it could take off at any moment.

"I-I don't know."

"Maybe the original owner is nearby?" Kratos offered, "I know of some items that do that."

Yuan nodded his head in agreement, "Yes, but you're right when you say it looks strange. I don't believe I've seen a locket like _that_ in all my life."

"And that's pretty long considering how long you've been alive!" Zelos said, trying to smile, even though he looked like he was in pain. Not only was the weird locket acting up, but the tattoo on his hands was glowing also.

April stepped up next to him, touching his arm, "Your hands…do you think it would help the pain a little if I healed them?" she looked up at him questioningly and he nodded his head gratefully.

"Yeah it might."

She nodded her head before closing her eyes and whispering a spell under her breath. Green light enveloped Zelos' hands and suddenly the brightness in the tattoos died down.

"Ah--thank you." Zelos smiled, "Now then, let's say we get goin'? The Professor looks like she's about to have a heart attack if we don't go find Genis."

Raine snapped to attention then, her smile wavering, "W-well I _am_ worried," she sighed, "Yes, I'm _very_ worried."

I smiled then, "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find him."

"Y-yes."

"But if we do…" Colette looked at all of us, "Will we all keep what we learned a secret from him?"

There was an uneasy pause. I let out a sigh, "You're right. We're going to have to keep it aren't we?"

Raine nodded her head, "Yes. Do you know what would happen if he found out?"

"He'd probably freak."

Raine looked down at her feet, "Y-yes he might…and he'd be hurt beyond reason." She looked like she was about to cry and I, in all honesty, felt bad.

We might be keeping a secret from a friend, but she would be keeping a secret from family. Her little brother.

Suddenly Yuan turned, his cape swished and suddenly it vanished and his sword appeared, "There's someone outside."

"Wh-what?" I drew my swords and looked around, "Who?"

"Whoever it is, they aren't alone, and their aura's…aren't human," Kratos shook his head, "They're too dark to be normal for any race."

Then the door opened, more like was flung open, but it didn't matter. The person who was standing there shocked me.

For some reason he reminded me of Genis. His hair was similar, spiky and then a bit long in the back. But it was a bright yellow. One of his eyes was covered with bandages, and the other was a strikingly deep shade of purple. He was wearing a long sleeved white shirt that had black straps wrapping around the front and it flared out in the back like one of those old-fashioned coats people wore in Meltokio. His pants were pale grey and they strapped to his shoes, which were like mine, except for the fact that they were black.

We waited for a few minutes for this person to speak, but he didn't. He just stared at us. And then, then he smirked and walked folded his arms over his chest. A gust of wind ruffled his hair as he spoke, "Hmm, so you're the ones Mitosu was fighting against."

My grip on my swords tightened, "And? You're a friend of his?"

The yellow haired boy tilted his head to the side, "If you want to call me that. Though that fact makes me sick." He scowled and winced, placing a hand over his bandaged eye, "Not that it matters."

"Did he do that to your eye?" April suddenly asked.

"No he didn't. But then again, that doesn't matter either." He stared at her long and hard, then his gaze fell on Zelos, "Now lets cut straight to the chase. I want that locket."

"Wh-what? This?"

"Yes, it's mine." He outstretched one of his hands, "Or do you _want_ to make your wounded hands even worse?" He smirked, "Because I'm feeling quite angry right now and I wouldn't mind seeing a few people in pain."

That just made me feel sick. Anyone who didn't mind causing others pain had something _seriously_ wrong with them.

"And what makes you think you can just do that? What if we give back that pendant thing?" I shouted.

His smirk only grew, "Well, two things would happen. One, I would think you were incredibly weak, and I would wonder how Mitosu could have had any trouble against you, and two," his smirk was now nearly splitting his face in two, "I would get my pendant back. Of course you probably have no idea how that could be bad for you, but that's just _perfect_ for me. The element of surprise is always fun."

Suddenly there was a horrible screeching sound, like a monster crying out in pain, and, when I opened my eyes, which I hadn't known I closed, that boy had his pendant in his hand, and a girl was standing next to him.

This girl also reminded me of Genis, for some odd reason or another. She had silver hair with blond streaks in it, and her eyes were a clear kind of purple. She was wearing a long black sweatshirt, and a black dark green miniskirt and boots to match. She had her arms folded across her chest, and a scowl on her face.

"Are you done gloating now, Jiniasu? We have to find Mitosu."

The boy looked at her and sighed, "Fine, fine."

"Don't say it so casually. It was Neo's orders. You know how carried away that guy can get?"

"Yes Seiji, I know." He turned back to face us, "You'd better thank whatever goddess rules over you, because she obviously blessed you." His expression turned to one of disgust, "I wish our goddess would do that."

Then, just like that, he left.

And then I dropped my sword, falling to my knees. To my surprise, everyone else did the same.

"Who…who…ugh, I feel sick…" Zelos moaned, "And my hands hurt again."

"Yes, my stomach hurts, and I feel weak." Presea tried standing up, only to collapse.

"Yes I do as well. But…who was that boy?"

"Boy?" Sheena stated, shaking her head while gripping her stomach, "He wasn't acting like a little boy. He was acting like an adult. Ugh, and he's creepy."

Colette nodded her head, "Yes, um, but…his eye…and…that other girl…and--what about Mitosu? They said they had to go after Mitosu, so does that mean he's here as well?"

"Most likely." Yuan said with a nod of his head. He stood up and managed to stay standing.

"Yes, most likely. And if Mitosu is here then that must mean he's after Genis, for whatever reason that may be." Kratos stated, also standing up.

"I'm worried about them, Genis and Mithos. I hope they're okay."

I shook my head; "Well we aren't going to find out by acting sick," I stood up, "So let's go after them! Come on, if you can't stand, let someone help you!"

Everyone nodded their head and began to try standing up.

The only ones out of all of us who couldn't stand without some sort of help were Presea, April, Colette, and Zelos. Though Presea got help from Regal, April from Raine, Colette from her angel wings, and Zelos from me and Kratos.

I turned to face the mayor, who was leaning back in his chair with a startled look on his face, "Where were Mithos and Genis staying?"

"At Belle's house. You'll see it, it's three stories and the Katz normally hang around on the third floor. I highly doubt they're there anymore if this Mitosu person is after them."

I nodded my head in thanks before walking out the door with Zelos leaning on my shoulder.

---------------------

Genis' POV

"What do I have to do to help you?" I asked outloud to myself, watching as Mithos dodged yet another of Mitosu's attacks.

_'Well first off you have to stop watching your boyfriend fight, and second, you just have to concentrate. Pretend that you're sending your will power somewhere else.' _

"What?"

_'Just…concentrate really hard and you'll get it.' _Feral said with a sigh. Her voice was higher than normal though, hinting that, despite her attempts to hide it, she was scared.

Regardless of that, I did what she said. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I concentrated on keeping that other Feral where she belonged, inside of the younger Feral. So basically I was keeping her inside of the person inside my head. If that made any sense at all.

"Hey Feral?"

_'Didn't I just say for you to concentrate?'_

"I know but I was just wondering, if you're trapped in a mirror, and the evil Feral only comes out when…when Pronyma is doing whatever she is doing, then doesn't that mean when you're free she'll be free too?"

There was silence for some time and then she spoke, _'Yes that's right. The evil Feral is who they want to bring out. And since you're the heir of the seal, she can be brought out as you. Essenitally, they want to kidnap you and make you place the piece of mirror I'm trapped in back with the original mirror. That way the other Feral can actually be freed as well.' _

"So you'll be like two separate people?"

Feral sighed, _'No we won't be. Ghh, we'll still be the same person, but she's normally, ahh…stronger…stronger than me, and if I were to be away from the mirror, and if they were to kill you like they undoubtedly plan to after you release me, then she will take over…' _

She let out a loud gasp then, and I felt something dark swelling up inside me. It was creepy, and I, to say the least, hated it. I closed my eyes and concentrated even more on suppressing the feeling. It felt like it was working, and I could hear Feral sighing in relief.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly and I felt her nod.

_'Yes…you…you really are much stronger than you look.' _

I didn't know whether or not to take that as a compliment, but I decided it was one and smiled, "Thanks."

Then the cold dark feeling was back. But this time it wasn't inside of me. I shivered and looked around. Mitosu was still occupied by Mithos, so it wasn't him, but then who was it?

I gasped when I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to look above me. There, perched on the top of the stone gravestone like monument, was a boy…a boy that distinctly reminded me of myself.

His purple eye, his only good eye from the looks of things, bore into my own blue ones and he smirked, moving some of his bangs out of his face before doing the same to mine.

I backed up quickly, knowing full well that Mitosu would probably see me, not that he didn't already know I was here, and got to my feet.

"Who…?"

_'Genis? Who is it?'_

"I--"

"I'm Jiniasu." He jumped down from the gravestone, smirking and moving closer to me, "You must be Genis."

I gasped as his hand reached out, touching my shoulder again, "G-get away from me."

_'He's the same as Mitosu. He's dangerous, don't trust him.' _Feral warned.

_"I'm not going to trust him anytime soon I hope you know." _

"Who are you talking to…? Oh?" he looked past me at Mithos and Mitosu. Mitosu immediately stopped and stared, his eyes widening as Mithos turned around.

"Who--hey!"

"And I'm assuming you're Mithos." Jiniasu stated, his voice eerily casual, "Were you trying to protect this boy?" he tugged me close to him and I grimaced. He felt unbelievably cold and the dark feeling seemed to intensify.

_'Genis get away from him!' _

I tried to push away, but his grip only tightened, "Do you actually think you're going to escape?" he asked, looking down at me, his face serious.

I shook my head, "I can see that I'm not going to easily, but I'm not just going to let you do what you want! I've had enough of that already!"

Jiniasu smirked, "My, for the other me, you sure are persistant." He lifted one of his hands, which I noticed had a bandage on it, and traced his fingers along my jaw.

My stomach felt like it was about to drop, like it did when I rode the rollercoaster at Altimira. Something told me if he was going to do anything it wasn't going to be good.

_'Genis…! Genis listen to me.' _Feral sounded urgent, but then relieved at the same time, _'Your friends are coming! They know you aren't where they left you.' _

That sent a wave of relief over me, but I couldn't relax just yet. This…look alike…was…was…

"You're so cute, you know? I didn't think my look-alike would be this cute. It's too bad, really, that we're planning on killing you after this is all over with. I would like to see how strong you are."

"Big brother! Eww! Let go of him now! You--you know I hate guys!" A girls voice cried out from somewhere nearby. I tried to turn my head, by Jiniasu was still cradeling my jaw with his fingertips.

"Oh, Seiji. If I let go of him, he'll escape. And you don't have to remind me you hate guys. I've known you long enough to know that." His voice was practically dripping with sarcasm.

Finally the girl he was speaking to came into view. What surprised me is that she looked like a slightly older version of Feral. And she looked really, _really_ annoyed.

"Big _brother_."

"Little _sister_." The blond taunted back, a smirk on his lips.

"Let him go."

Jiniasu turned to look at Mithos, "And what if I don't?"

"You--"

Jiniasu laughed, "If you attack me I'll use him as a shield." His smirk widened, "But then again you probably should have known that."

I felt sick. He was using me, he was using me and I couldn't do anything about it. He would most likely hurt me if I tried to escape, so, yeah, I really couldn't do anything about my situation.

Except for maybe hope that my friends got here in time.

And, as if on cue, I heard footsteps, lots of footsteps, and the familiar sound of swords drawing.

Then I heard gasps.

"Hey! Let Genis go!" Lloyd shouted out. He seemed a bit surprised though.

_'Well, finding your friend in a position like you're in now is quite shocking.' _

_"I really didn't need for you to point that out now, Feral." _I said while trying to keep my face expressionless.

Unfortunately Jiniasu still noticed me, "Hmm? What's the matter?" He looked back at everyone surrounding us, "And you all…seem so shocked?" He grinned then, an evil grin that seemed twice as evil as Mitosu's, "Why don't I shock you a bit more? Besides, I'd like to find out a bit more about you."

I blinked, "Wha--"

but I was cut off. He pulled me closer and…and…

He kissed me.

His lips were so cold, and they felt…weird…not like Mithos' at all. Though the oddest thing about it was the image that flashed through my mind. It was of a young boy and a young girl who were standing outside of a burning building.

Then suddenly, I was out of his grip, and he was halfway across the platform against a tree.

"Ugh…"

"Are you okay?" Mithos asked, me, and I looked up at him. It took me a split second to realize that he had been the one to hit him, but once that sunk in, I collapsed against Mithos. I felt like crying, and he was saying something, but…but…

The odd dark feeling almost immediately dissipated, and I looked up.

"And what, may I ask, is going on here?"

That voice, it sounded familiar. I turned my face and saw, standing there on the edge of the platform, where some stairs led down to a platform with a lone house on it, was that man/woman from before.

He/she was standing there, arms crossed across their chest, an amused look in their eyes.

"I'm surprised," he/she stated, "To see all three of you here. But what were you doing?"

Jiniasu stood up, not appearing to be in pain at all, "It's none of your business. But since you're here, that must mean he knows we're here too."

The red haired man/woman shook his/her head, "Maybe, maybe not. But I can say this." He/she lifted her arms, and the sleeves of her long robe-like attire slid down them, revealing long red tattoo marks on his/her pale flesh, "If you don't leave then your mistress will surely know if you die."

He/she said it so calmly that it sent a shiver down my spine. It seemed to do the same for Mithos, because he pulled me even closer.

A gasp from someone behind me, followed by a loud thud of a body falling to the ground made me shiver even more.

"Zelos!" I heard Lloyd cry out.

And then the man/woman stopped, "Oh dear. It seems that the other me still isn't fully recovered." He/she moved across the small platform towards were Zelos had fallen, "Here, let me see him. These markings should have gone away when you first received them. Or wait, did they get there by accident?"

"Y-you could say that…" Zelos said, his voice raspy. I finally was able to turn and watch what happened and I gasped.

The man/woman and Zelos' hands in theirs, and there was a weird red glow surrounding them.

"So you got these from an unpresidented encounter with darkness?"

Zelos just blinked, "I guess you could call it that."

The man/woman nodded her head, "I see. Well, I can't exactly do anything about that happening. I can only thank whomever it was that made you encounter the darkness, because it means I woke up early, but that's beside the point." He/she let out a sigh, "I'll heal these." The red light intensified and, when I could open my eyes again, the man/woman was standing and walking back across the platform.

And Zelos was passed out on the ground, the weird tattoos on his hands were gone.

"Now I suppose I should leave. But," the man/woman turned to face me, "I never expected you to be…oh never mind," he/she turned to face Mitosu then, "And you, thank you for being the cause of my awakening."

Mitosu looked at his feet, a scowl on his face, "It's not like it was my fault he was trying to be a hero and save someone…" He looked up at the man/woman, "And besides it would've been better if you had stayed asleep, Zerasu."

The man/woman, now known as Zerasu, shook his/her head, "My, I wondered if I would ever hear you say that again. Then again, I suppose I could hear from any of you." He/she looked up at the sky, "But now I suppose I should be going."

And just like that, he/she disappeared leaving everyone a bit stunned.

"Wh-what? Zerasu? Is that who you said…?" Lloyd whispered from behind me.

Mitosu merely nodded his head, "Yes that's who I said would awaken because of his direct contact with the dark spell that I had cast." He let out a long tired sigh, "Man that guy really gets on my nerves." Suddenly wings appeared on his back, they were black as the night and seemed to suck up the remaining sun of the afternoon into them. He lifted to the air and was about to leave when he turned back to face me, "Count yourself lucky for this."

And then he flew off. Only seconds later both Seiji and Jiniasu teleported away.

That's when I was pulled from Mithos' hold into another pair of arms. A head was buried into my hair, and I felt tears fall.

"Wha…? Sis?"

"I'm so glad to see that you're okay." Raine's voice was shaky, but it made me smile none-the-less.

"Of course I'm okay sis. I'm a little sore but other than that I'm feeling much better than I have over the past few days."

"Yes but…are you feeling okay?" she pulled away and looked down at me, "We…saw what he…did…that boy…Jiniasu."

I shook my head, "That? Oh, I'm fine. It's just, uh, it felt weird but I'm fine." I looked over towards where Lloyd was trying to wake up an apparently now asleep Zelos, "But I think you might wanna worry about him even more."

Raine turned and followed my gaze, "Yes, I suppose you're right. But, why are you all the way out here? Or were you looking around town?"

I felt my chest tighten, "Ah…I was…" I looked away from her, the feelings from earlier, of knowing that she would keep from me what she had learned about our family.

"You were?"

"I was, um, l-looking around here. And…" I gasped lightly when I felt a tug at the back of my mind. The pulling got worse and then it was gone.

_"Feral's gone." _

I sighed.

"Genis? You were looking around here?" Raine laughed lightly, but it sounded forced, "Why around here? See, there's only a house down there that probably no one lives in."

I shook my head, "Yeah I know but I found something interesting." I pulled away from her even more and walked over to the tree. I felt her eyes on me, as well as Mithos' and I turned back around, "Actually Mithos and me found this, come look."

Mithos walked over to stand next to me, and Raine followed looking curious and yet worried at the same time.

I walked behind the tree with both of them following and then I stood to the side, pointing to the grave, "Look at this?" I said, trying to keep the sadness from my voice.

She walked forward and inspected the writing on the grave. A few seconds later and she gasped, backing up a few steps, "Wh-what…? What _is_ this?"

"It's a grave." Mithos answered, "A grave a lady named Belle showed me." He looked over at me with a sad smile.

"And it says Kloitz Sage, doesn't it?"

Raine barely nodded her head.

"And that was our fathers name, wasn't it?" I prodded and she nodded again. I looked back at the grave, "He was buried here, right? When they found him and mom…in a forest."

I heard Raine, as well as the others--who had apparently followed us--at this.

"Genis how do you know that?"

I sighed, "I know that because I overheard it. My mother is somewhere in this town isn't she?"

Raine nodded her head again, though it seemed more mechanic than anything, "Y-yes she is."

"Okay."

"But if you overheard the conversation, then why have Raine tell you this?" Yuan asked, crossing his arms over his chest, his cyan eyes a bit clouded.

"Because I didn't want her to keep the promise of not telling me about my parents." That was all I could think of to say, and apparently that was all I needed to say. I turned to face Mithos, "And I wanted to make sure Mithos didn't keep it a secret either, and he didn't."

Raine let out a shaky sigh, "I-I suppose…that's good. But do you want to meet your mother?" she sounded worried.

Well she had every right to be. I mean, from what I overheard…I didn't think I _wanted_ to meet her. But she was my mom.

Thankfully Mithos spoke up for me, "Well if he meets her before we leave tomorrow, which is when I'm assuming we're leaving, then he meets her. If he doesn't then he doesn't. But right now I think we need to get to the inn, or somewhere, so everyone can get some rest. It looks like you're about to fall asleep on your feet."

To emphasize this, Lloyd yawned, "Yeah he's right, we _are_ really tired. But where's the inn?"

"Oh! Oh! I can show you the way!"

Everyone jumped and whirled around. There, standing behind them, was Amy.

"Ooh! Mithos! Genis! What're you guys doing all the way back here?" she asked, practically jumping from where she was over to where we were.

I backed up as she stepped forward, and Mithos stood in front of me, "We were just looking around, but if you could show us the way to the inn that would be appreciated."

Amy smiled widely, "Yeah! Okay!" she turned and skipped up the stairs to the platform above, waving at us to follow.

But when I reached those said stairs, I nearly tripped. Of course, Mithos caught me and helped me up. Though as a result we set Amy off into a squealing/hyper spree.

Mithos let out a soft sigh and I just smiled, "This is going to be a long walk isn't it?"

He nodded his head, "Yeah it is." Then he smiled at me, "But aren't you glad that everyone's back?"

My smile grew, "Of course I am!"

-----------------------------------------

**Me: **Wow…long chapter. Okay, well, maybe it isn't the _longest_ chapter I've ever written but it's close to it.

**April: **Yes, it's nice that you ended it on a happy note, though.

**Me: **Yeah, and that I didn't have to split this chapter _again_.

**April: **Well they technically haven't left Exire yet.

**Me: **I know, I know, but the next chapter they are leaving. And that's official. Now putting that aside, R&R please! Most people already know this, but it never hurts to repeat oneself, but the more reviews I recieve the more of a chance I'll start on the next chapter early meaning the more likely it'll be up early! So yeah, REVIEW PLEASE!


	52. What Maxwell Said

**Me: **And here's Part 52 of To Understand! And I promise, this is the chapter that they _really_ leave Exire. As in they won't be back for a while.

**Feral: **Sure you promise, but then again, you don't know what you'll write in each chapter so you can't really say that.

**Me: **Oh, hush.

**To Understand: Part Fifty-two**

**What Maxwell Said**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews: **

Alaia Skyhawk-No, there wasn't any butt kicking in this chapter, but I promise it'll happen. Chapter number? I don't know. As for where it'll happen, in Venheim. When? After the hotsprings scenes and the making of the key crest for Martel. So you'll just have to wait for however many chapters that'll take. Now then, here's the next chapter, enjoy!

**Moonshine's Guide- **Yeah, poor Genis. if it were me I woulda slapped Jiniasu so hard that he'd fall off the side of the platform and he'd plummet into the sea. To tell you the truth, I wasn't even _sure_ I was going to put that kissing scene in there at that precise moment. I was going to wait till they got to the hotsprings, but that's more Genis/Mithos fluffy-ness bound to have that stuck in there. And yes they're going to the hotsprings. It's been in my head for a while and it bugged me so much that I decided to put it in just so it'd leave me alone. Also the whole Mitosu, Jiniasu, Seiji, Zerasu thing will be explained in the sequel as my many Authors Notes have said. And of course I'm glad you liked the last chapter and here's the new one--enjoy!

**Viaroura Fox-**Kyaa! I'm glad someone said they liked Jiniasu! I was afraid people wouldn't like him. And don't worry Only Pronyma will die in this fanfic. Now in the sequel…I'm not too sure, but I know there will be more than one character death--but not any good characters. Now then, here's the newest chapter, enjoy!

**LittleLinor-**no unfortunately you didn't. But I already told ya why (and it was my fault) and don't worry, you have one in this chapter! And I'm glad you liked the last chapter, it was personally one of my favorites too. All the bad OC's appearing in one chapter (that you're supposed to know about), who really couldn't ask for more? As for if Jiniasu likes guys. Well he certainly doesn't like girls –coughbecauseofNeocough- but as for if he likes guys. Well, it's something he's trying to suppress for his sisters sake. But it DID successfully scare Genis. And you could say Jiniasu wanted to know a little more about him. And here's the next chapter that you've been waiting for! And it's way earlier than I thought it'd be!

**Feral: **So they're finally talking about leaving Exire? Hmm, well I have to say I'm glad, because they need to hurry up and save me!

**Me: **Yeah I know, you've been held captive long enough, but then again you've _always_ been held captive, or at least you have for this fanfic.

**Feral: **Grrr…

**Me: **-gulp-Don't worry! You'll be free! They just need to listen to Maxwell's explanation of who you actually are first and then they'll leave for the hotsprings, I swear!

**April-**So you aren't going to put in anything about Virginia meeting them in this chapter?

**Me: **If I do then I do, if I don't then I don't.

**April: **Ah, I see, okay then I guess I'll do the disclaimer: Harmony283 does not have in her possession the legal documents stating she legally owns Tales of Symphonia or any of its characters.

**Feral: **And since she's lazy and puts things off she never wants to get those papers.

**April: **But she does own us! And the plot!

**Authors Note: **I think that's the first time you've collaborated on the disclaimer. But putting that aside, yes they will talk with Maxwell, but not before they have a heated game of Crazy Eights! Then of course, something odd happens when they ask Maxwell for help. And then, of course, they agree to go to the Hotsprings. Thus bringing the REAL end of the Time in Exire arc.

**Feral: **Or so she says.

**Me: **Or so I say…hey! I DO say!

----------------------------

Raine's POV

That one scene kept running through my mind. When we had arrived at the scene of where Genis and Mithos were said to have been headed to. And there, standing there with…with Jiniasu's arms around him, and then…the kiss. It made me feel a little ill. I still wasn't used to the fact of boys kissing like that but Genis, he was pure. He didn't need that to happen to him. And yet he said he was fine.

He obviously wasn't fine. Especially if that was his first kiss.

No wait, that _was_ his first kiss, right? He couldn't have been kissed by anyone else before that…

Right?

Why did I feel so unsure about that? He would have told me if he had been kissed before. He promised he would tell me before he got into any sort of relationship with anyone that he'd ask my approval first.

_'But what if he thinks you won't approve of the person he likes?'_

I let out a soft sigh, shaking my head from side to side. Suddenly a mug with warm liquid, what I assumed was tea, was placed in front of me. I looked up to see April giving me a warm smile, "What's wrong?" she asked in that gentle voice that seemed to say that she knew what I was thinking about.

I smiled, but it felt like it came out wrong, "Oh…I'm just wondering how Genis is doing."

April giggled, "You don't like the room arrangements do you?"

I sighed even louder, "No, no I don't. It's not fair to stick Presea, Sheena, and Colette in one room together."

"but they didn't mind."

"And it's even worse that we had to stick Regal, Kratos, and Yuan in a room together."

"Well the room they're staying in has three beds."

I stared at her, "You're happy with the room arrangements aren't you?"

She smiled, "Of course I am--I mean, I don't mind. I just think it's good that you're letting Genis stay with Mithos for the night. But if it makes you feel better, the next place we stay at we can stay in a room with them."

I nodded my head, "Thank you. I just feel safer when I know where he is. But I wonder what they're doing right now."

"You really worry too much." 

"I know but," I sighed again, "I'm thinking about what happened earlier."

April took a seat next to me, "You mean when Jiniasu kissed Genis?"

I nodded my head, "Yes. He…he said he was fine but that must have shocked him. Not to mention Mithos' reaction to it."

That in all due respect was what had bothered me the most.

But April laughed.

I opened my eyes and stared over at her, "That isn't funny."

She stifled her laughter until it was only giggles, "Oh, no, I know it isn't funny. I thought it was really cute."

"_Cute_?"

She nodded her head, "Yes cute."

I just stared at her, "You think the fact that Mithos reacted that way is cute?"

She shook her head, "Well I thought it was sweet because he seemed to not like the whole situation. And you should be grateful, he saved Genis after all."

I nodded my head, "I know that. But…"

Suddenly there was a knock on our door, nearly making me jump out of my seat. But April was faster. She headed towards the door and opened it. A smile spread across her face, "Oh, Genis! Mithos! Come in," she stepped aside and I stood up, walking over to Genis and hugging him.

He seemed a bit startled when I pulled away but he smiled none-the-less, "Hey sis." He turned to face Mithos, "Mithos and I were just asked to come and get you. Everyone's gathering in Colette, Presea, and Sheena's room for a card game."

Mithos nodded his head, and that's when I noticed his hair was in a braid. He almost looked like a girl when it was pulled back from his face, "Yeah it's…Crazy Eights…or something like that." 

Genis laughed, "Yeah, Mithos doesn't know how to play so I agreed to teach him. Do you two wanna come along? I mean, if you don't want to that's fine but you'd be the only ones not coming." 

I sighed, "Fine, fine, we'll come. But how are they going to fit everyone into that one room?"

Genis shook his head, "I don't know."

"They're girls," Mithos said, fiddling with his braid.

Of course Genis saw this, "Hey! Stop messing with that! You know it'll come out…"

Mithos scowled, "But I don't like having my hair up."

"Or brushing it, on account that you've never been considered a girl in your life until recently."

Mithos just stuck his tongue out at my little brother, and was returned by a laugh. He turned to me and smiled, "Okay then, we'll see ya in a few minutes." I then watched them walk back down the hallway and towards Sheena, Colette, and Presea's room.

After they turned the corner, obviously going back to their room to get something before going to the card game, I let out a long sigh. I turned when I felt a hand on my shoulder, and smiled back at April, "I'm fine."

"Of course you are…not." Her eyes softened, "You're worried aren't you?"

I closed my eyes, shaking my head from side to side, "You know me too well."

I felt her shift and I opened my eyes again. Now she was standing right in front of me, her arms crossed over her shoulders, her head tilted to one side, "I know you as well as I should."

Now that normally wouldn't have bothered me. But she sounded so serious.

"And how well would that be?"

She smiled sweetly, "Oh, I'd say pretty well," she turned around and walked out the open door, "now let's go! I'm sure everyone is waiting!"

I nodded my head and followed her out of the room, closing the door behind me. A few minutes later and we were standing in front of everyone in our group. They were huddled in a kind of circle around some playing cards that lay in the center of the room. Genis was leaning up against one of the beds with Mithos nearly glued to his side as he explained the rules of the game. The blonde would sometimes nod his head, and then other times he would just smile.

As we walked into the room, everyone shifted so that we had room. We sat down, and looked around at everyone, "Okay then, who's going first?"

Sheena shook her head, "We don't know. Genis is explaining the rules to Mithos so he can't go first. Kratos 'kinda' knows the rules, Yuan says he's a master of any card game--"

"--which isn't true--"

"-and of course no one else really seems to care. What do you think we should do?"

I sighed, "Well I don't really care either, but just for the sake of making things easier…let's let it go from oldest to youngest." 

I waited for someone to say something, but they all just nodded their heads.

Well, everyone except for Mithos.

"Do you mean our actual age, or the age we look like?"

"To make it less complicated let's do it by the age we look." Yuan stated, "Because that'd mean, Kratos'd go first."

"Are you saying I'm old?"

Yuan shook his head, "No, but you're older than me. And you still would be even if we were going by original age."

Mithos let out a loud sigh, causing them to look over at him, "Why are you even _fighting_ about that anyway? Let's just get started." 

Genis then raised his hand, "But what about me an' Presea? We're both the same age."

Presea nodded her head, "Yes, he's right. But I think…if we're going by the ages we look…you would be a few months older than me."

Genis nodded his head and smiled. He didn't even seem nervous when he spoke to her like back about two months ago…when we first arrived in Tethe'alla.

I couldn't exactly ask him about it, as the cards were dealt out between us--taking up almost the entire stack of cards--and we began playing.

Of course Yuan added in a rule, a rule that had something to do with if you had a 2 of any suit, **(1)**, and Kratos nearly lost his cool…

I remember laughing, and then almost losing once because of the so-said rule, and Yuan and Kratos somehow getting all the twos and then, a few rounds later, it was Colette, Presea, Kratos, Lloyd, Sheena, Regal, Zelos, and I who were sitting out.

All that were left was April, Genis, Mithos, and Yuan.

I was sitting right next to April, so I could see her cards easily. I was actually quite surprised at the amount of luck she had. She had about two eight's--meaning she could change the suit at any time--and the 2 of hearts, meaning that she could make Mithos pick up 2 cards if he didn't already have a two.

It wouldn't surprise me though if each of them had a two.

And, ironically enough, I turned out to be right.

Yuan put down the 2 of clubs, April put down her 2 of hearts, Mithos put down a 2 of diamonds, and Genis put down a 2 of spades.

I flinched and so did Yuan.

He had to pick up, what, ten cards now?

Genis let out a big grin, as Yuan grudgingly picked up ten cards, as Mithos chuckled next to him.

The eventually had to reshuffle the deck, and start again. Soon after this, though, April forfeited, like the rest of us had, and sat down next to me with a pleased smile on her face, "That was fun while it lasted!"

And then we watched to see who would get out next.

Ironically enough Yuan somehow got Mithos to forfeit as well.

"Hey, agh, oh crud, whatever," Mithos placed his cards, which he had somehow accumulated half of the deck, back into the drawing deck, and sat back, immediately looking at the cards Genis had.

A few minutes later Genis was laughing his head off while Yuan muttered a few things under his breath that had me standing in front of him, whacking him on the head, and Kratos chuckling beside him.

"This…that's…it's…not fair." The blue haired ex-seraphim said finally, standing up, "I'm going back to our room."

And he turned and left with Kratos and Regal following behind him, saying good night.

Shortly after that Zelos and Lloyd left, and soon after them a very tired Genis and a happy looking Mithos got up to leave.

But I couldn't let Genis leave just yet.

"Genis?"

he turned to face me, rubbing his eyes sleepily, "Hmm? Yeah sis?"

I walked over to him and kissed him on the forehead, "I'm glad you're okay, but I need to speak to you…about what happened earlier."

"Can't it wait till tomorrow?" he whined, "I'm sleepy!"

Mithos came up behind him, "He's nearly falling asleep on his feet, whatever you want to talk about can wait till tomorrow." He put a hand on Genis shoulder, "That's also when we're planning on asking Maxwell…about Martel."

Genis nodded his head, "Yeah. Good night sis," he stood on his toes and kissed me on the cheek. Then he turned and left the room with Mithos guiding him down the dark hallway.

I let out a soft sigh and turned to April, who smiled at me, "I think we should be going."

I nodded my head, "Yes, good night."

"Good night." Sheena, Presea, and Colette answered in unison before crawling back in their beds.

Before I went to bed that night, April turned to me and smiled, "You know you worry too much."

I let out another tired sigh, "I know, I know…"

-----------------------------

Genis' POV

The night seemed to pass quickly, or at least much faster than I had wanted it to. Now I was laying in bed, blinking as the morning light flooded into the room from the window beside my bed.

I _really_ didn't want to get up. In fact, that was probably the last thing I wanted to do.

But a feather light touching of something soft to my lips woke me up right away. It was Mithos, he was bending over me with a soft smile on his face, "Good morning."

I smiled, "Morning…did you just…?"

"Kiss you? Yes. I didn't get a chance to wake you up like that yet, so I figured why not?" He got off my bed and helped me up.

Though my back was still hurting, which made me wince.

"Your back…? Does it still hurt."

I smiled weakly, "Yeah, well, I didn't expect it to get better in one day."

Mithos nodded his head, "Well that's certainly true. Let's go downstairs, Raine came to wake us up a few minutes ago, and I was the only one who got up."

I blushed, "O-oh…um, yeah, let's go. I mean, we also have to ask Maxwell about--"

My blush only deepened as Mithos kissed me again, this time on the forehead, "I know." He took my hand and we walked out the door and into the hallway.

Once we made it to the lobby, I could tell Zelos and Lloyd were in trouble again. Not that it should really surprise me.

"I can't believe how inconsiderate you two are! What if--"

Mithos and I walked over to them, "Morning sis." I said with a smile on my face, causing her to jump.

She whirled around to face me, a hand over her heart, "Genis don't do that!"

"Well it wouldn't've scared you if you were paying attention." Mithos stated, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Raine scowled at this, "Well this is kind of important?"

"And what is 'this'?" we both asked in unison.

"Raine just got mad at us." Lloyd said, a nervous smile on his face.

"Nothin' you two should be concerned about." Zelos added in.

I sighed, "You mean you two got in trouble for the same thing you did last time?"

Both of them blushed at the exact same time, and Raine's face went from beet red at the question to extremely pale, "You…you know what happened?"

"Maybe." 

"So you two really are together now?" Mithos asked, tilting his head to the side.

To this they both cried out, "And how did _you _know?!"

Mithos grinned, "Well for one it was slightly obvious, even if I _hadn't_ seen you two when I went to visit Genis, it would have been obvious."

Raine backed up, "'went to visit Genis'? You mean you did come to Flanoir…?"

Mithos nodded his head, "I don't see any reason why I shouldn't tell you that," he turned to me, "You don't mind do you?"

I shook my head, "Well I was going to tell her anyway, so yeah, it's fine." 

Raine looked extremely tired then, "Oh whatever. Weren't we supposed to ask Maxwell something?"

"That's what I'm here for." Sheena said, walking over to us, glaring at Zelos and Lloyd before raising hand, "Maxwell!"

and in a flash, Maxwell was there, floating in front of us.

_'Wow, he really does look old.' _

Then I felt searing pain in my head and nearly fell over, if Mithos hadn't caught me.

"Genis?!"

I shook my head, "I'm fine."

"Ah-ha-ha, yes you're fine, but don't _ever_ call me old. I'm not old!" Maxwell laughed, a strange glint in his eyes.

"Yes well you didn't have to…hurt him."

Maxwell raised an eyebrow, "Hmm, oh really? But what is it that you want?" He pointed his staff at Mithos, "And make it snappy."

Mithos' eyes narrowed, "Fine. It's about Martel."

"What about her?"

"Let me finish talking _please_." 

Maxwell shut up and nodded his head.

"Good. Martel," he looked over at me, "Martel might be able to be revived in a different way than I originally thought."

Maxwell nodded his head, stroking his beard with his free hand, "Oh really now? What makes you say that?"

I gulped as his eyes fell on me, "I-I found it in a book I read while I was…recovering…in Heimdall. We have what we need to make the special Key crest, but we don't have her original body."

He seemed surprised at this, "I see. And you wanted to ask me if there was a way to revive her original body?"

Mithos nodded his head, "Yes, you're the Summon Spirit of Birth. It seems like something you would know." 

Maxwell let out a sigh, "You're right about that. And I do know a bit about that sort of thing. Unfortunately I'm not the one who can do that."

"What?"

"Martel _died_ remember? I'm the Summon Spirit of _Birth_ I create things. Give life to things. Not bring back body's from the dead." Suddenly he laughed, "That's more along the lines of _her _job." 

"Her?" We asked in unison.

"Yes her," now Maxwell's laugh was down to a chuckle, then it all together stopped, "Her, the Summon Spirit of Death."

This made me freeze, and I felt Mithos move closer to me, "Summon Spirit of death…?" he asked, "Where do we find her?"

"I don't really know. All I know is that she was sealed away when her former master died, oh, I believe more than ten years ago."

"So all we have to do is let Sheena make the pact?" Lloyd asked, "That seems easy enough."

Maxwell shook his head, "If you really believe you're strong enough to beat her, then by all means you can try. Though I do believe you may have already encountered her." Now his eyes were nearly burning holes in mine, "I believe that wound you have, on your back, the ones who are searching for her gave you that didn't they?"

Then I got it.

And it made me feel sick.

I nodded my head, "If you mean Pronyma, Mitosu, and then those other two. If they're looking for the Summon Spirit of Death then they did hurt me. But why would they want her?"

Maxwell shrugged, "I have no idea. But that's almost like asking why they want _you_. That's why you were here, right? To recover?"

Raine stepped forward, "Yes that's true. But why do they want Genis for that?"

"I don't know that either. But I may be able to find out." He raised his staff, "Step forward Genis."

I blinked, "What the heck? No way!"

"It won't hurt." 

I glared at him, "Yeah right."

Then Kratos stepped forward, "He's right. Whatever you're going to do…will hurt him won't it? He's been through enough, you could already see that when you laid eyes on him."

Maxwell shook his head, "I know that. I just…want to see his Mana Signature. There may be something special about you that made them believe they needed you in order to get to Feral."

Now there was a large lump in my throat, and I couldn't breath, "Feral…? I-Is that her name?"

Maxwell nodded his head again, "Why yes it is. Have you heard them use it before?"

I nodded my head, "S-something like that…"

"Well then aren't you curious as to _why _they chose you."

I shook my head, "Right now I don't really think I wanna know."

"But you're curious?"

I bit my lip, _'Okay yeah, maybe I am a little.' _

"Good, then step forward.

I flinched, "Stop reading my mind!"

Maxwell laughed, "Oh don't worry, I don't do it often." He beckoned me forward, and I felt my legs move.

I didn't want to get closer to him, but I did. Suddenly I was standing under his rod and a warm light engulfed me.

Then it felt cold, and just as it started to numb me, it became warm again. I staggered back on stiff legs, and felt a hand grab my arm. An even brighter flash of light engulfed my vision this time, and then I was on the ground.

I blinked, trying to adjust my vision to the normal light of the room, only to realize that Mithos was next to me, his hand on my arm.

Then Maxwell spoke, "I see. You're still weak from your wounds." I looked up at him, and he actually looked worried, "You should heal those wounds as quickly as possible."

"So…? You didn't get an accurate reading?" Mithos asked with an edge in his voice.

And just like that Maxwell laughed, "No, I didn't, unless of course you two are the same person! Wah-ha-ha!" then he promptly disappeared.

"W-well that…was odd. Are you okay Genis?" Raine asked, bending down to my level and feeling my forehead, "You're cold."

I nodded my head, "I _feel_ cold. And my back hurts."

April bent down to us as well, even though I hadn't even noticed she was in the room, "Well he did say that you were still weak." Her eyes lit up, "I think I know the perfect place that may help you heal those wounds faster."

"Really? Where?"

she stood up, "The Hotsprings! Do you think we can stop by there? I'm sure we could all use a bit of break for relaxation anyway."

Sheena, Colette, Presea, Zelos, and Lloyd all nodded their heads.

Raine stood and smiled, "I suppose that would be better. It's fine with me." She turned to Yuan, Kratos, and Regal, "what do you three think?"

Yuan sighed, "I have no objections. Not that I could have any since it _is_ a majority vote."

"Neither do I." Regal stated with a firm nod.

"I…why not?" Kratos shrugged.

April clapped her hands, her smile widening, "Okay then!"

"To the Hotsprings we go! Whoa yeah!" Zelos punched the air then, with a smirk on his face. Though shortly afterwards he was slapped in the face by none other than Sheena.

And the only thing she had to say in her defense was "pervert!"

--------------------------------------

**(1)-**This rule, playing where if you draw a 2 of any suit and if you place it down, the person going next has to draw two (or four if it's the 2 of spades) unless they have a two is the way I learned how to play Crazy Eights. My dad taught it to me two summers ago and I thought it'd be an interesting way to play instead of the normal way. Also, with twelve people playing the deck runs out really fast, and if you have more than a set number of cards—or if you feel you have too many to win—then you can forfeit (or at least that's the way everyone was playing when I played it with my family/relatives on vacation). That's how come everyone got out so fast. Yuan just never thought he'd lose, so that's why he kept up even after it seemed like he wasn't going to win.

**Me: **…Okay…that didn't exactly go as planned.

**April: **Well at least they're planning on leaving Exire.

**Me: **That's true. It was a lot harder explaining a card game than I thought.

**Feral: **That does happen sometimes.

**Me: **Yeah I guess it does. And, as always, R&R! More reviews equal a faster update! Really, this is probably the fastest I've updated since…I don't know, back in September?


	53. To the Hotsprings

**Me: **And here's Part Fifty three of To Understand!

**April: **Yup! And this is the one where we go the Hotsprings right?

**Me: **…yes…it is. But the fact that you're the one to suggest it makes me wonder…

**April: **Huh?

**Me: **No, nevermind

**To Understand: Part Fifty-three**

**To The Hotsprings**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews: **

DraNKa-Yes it was a fast update. I had the idea in my head, and I wanted to get back into the main storyline as fast as I could. As for what they're going to do now. After the Hotsprings is over with, they're going to go to Dirks house, get the keycrest thing made (I for the life of me can't remember the name of it ) and then it's back to Derris Kharlan/Venheim to save Feral. Then afterwards it's the whole Lloyd saveth the earth and then it's the epilogue. It seems like only a few more chapters. But who knows (I'm hoping I'll get to chapter 60 though). As for Raine, she feels more overprotective than really down about Mithos taking care of Genis. Of course then she gets suspicious…and…yeah. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and here's the next one, enjoy!

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Yes Feral is the Summon Spirit of Death. And yes you're right about which kind of death the two sides represent (good job! I didn't expect anyone to notice!) As for why they want her, yes you're right if Tethe'alla/Sylvarant (Aselia) is at war then Reti'thera is at peace. But they want war so they're trying to make Tethe'alla/Sylvarant peaceful. Why they want her is for something you'll figure out in the sequel (it may help if you go back and read the dream Genis had in the chapter called 'In the Past', because that kinda hints at what I'm talking about). And yes, you spelled Reti'thera right. I really am glad I came up with that name, it sounds so cool. And here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

**Viaroura Fox-**Yes Yuan lost at the card game. Well, all I can say is that he had to sometime, and Kratos was obviously happy. I'm happy you liked the last chapter and here's the next one--enjoy!

**Moonshine's Guide-**Hmm, making them play BS would've been fun. But I've never heard of that other game before. But yeah, Feral being the Summon Spirit of Death really surprised some people…really…I thought I dropped in a few hints but I guess you have to go back and read really carefully if you're going to get them (since they're basically a one word hint). But oh well, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and here's the next one--enjoy!

**LittleLinor: **Yes I did update during the days that you were gone...but...but yeah, I'll try to wait next time. And yeah I did upload faster in September than now, but I'm trying. Though I'm still curious...who did you think Feral was? And what important detail did you get right? As for how Colette will react when she finds out about Lloyd and Zelos...don't worry you'll some of it. And as for who knows...practically everyone but Yuan. Now then, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and here's the newest one--enjoy!

**April: **We're going to the Hotsprings, we're going to the Hotsprings…

**Me: **April stop, you're starting to creep me out.

**April: **I am?

**Me: **Yes, you are.

**April: **But it was your idea to begin with! Which brings me to the disclaimer: Harmony283 doesn't in any way, shape, or form own Tales of Symphonia or its characters. She does own Feral, the plot—including this idea which should probably make the rating go up a bit—and me.

**Genis: **Make the rating go up…?

**Mithos: **Yes make the rating go up. –grin-

**Genis: **-blush-

**Authors Note: **since when did the characters other than April and Feral show up here? Ah, no, nevermind I don't wanna know. –cough- anyway, like April says (and the title) yes everyone's going to the Hotsprings. Though it's only the boys this time around. I might put in the girls hotsprings scene in the next chapter if I feel like writing it (which most likely I will). Oh yes...I may have to warn you about some suggestive-ness coming with this, and the next, chapter. Who knows what I'll write, after all?

**April: **Yes who knows…

**Me: **No really, you're starting to act like Feral. STOP!

-----------------------------------

Mithos' POV

"So the Hotsprings are…where again?" Lloyd asked for about the third time since we left the inn. We were now on the platform farthest away from the city, and we still had no idea exactly what location we were closest to.

I let out a sigh, _'Making Exire move was necessary but…it's not very useful when we have to fly to the land below.' _

"That's a good question," Zelos agreed, "I'm lookin' forward to the Hotsprings now!"

"But it's not for you Zelos, it's mostly for Genis to recover." Sheena scolded and I turned to face them. Sheena was standing next to Colette, who still seemed upset. It was only natural though; Lloyd—her crush—had chosen Zelos over her.

No girl would want that to happen. Because since Lloyd was obviously gay now, she had no chance whatsoever to be with him.

I turned back to look at Genis. He was smiling but he looked like he was in some pain. He noticed I was staring at looked up at me, "Hmm?"

I smiled, "Nothing…but…does your back still hurt?"

He nodded his head, "A bit, but then I should be asking how _you _feel."

"I feel fine."

"are you wearing your Cruxis Crystal?"

I nodded my head; "Yes…I haven't taken it off since you put it on me."

Genis nodded his head, "That's why you feel fine."

My eyes narrowed, "And?"

"When you take your Cruxis crystal off you won't be fine. Your back probably hurts from flying such a long distance." He paused and glanced over at Raine, who seemed to be looking over here as well. I watched as she quickly looked away before turning my attention back to an annoyed, and slightly nervous, looking Genis, "Why don't you fly with me on my Rhieard?"

I nodded my head, "I might as well. But your sister doesn't look too happy."

Genis let out a sigh, "No I don't…think she is. I mean, how _can_ she be happy? I'm hurt and to top it all off she's probably wondering _why_ you came and visited me back when we were in Flanoir. And what about Colette?"

I tilted my head to the side, "I know she found out about them then. But what are the chances of her finding out now?"

Genis' face soured, "High. Sheena's trying not to say anything, and Colette's still pretty beaten up about the whole thing. If she finds out what they did just last night it could tear her already shredded heart to pieces."

I moved my hand to my own heart, feeling the pulsing Cruxis Crystal that rested over it, "That's a bit disturbing."

Genis let out another sigh, "Well it feels kinda the same as your heart shattering." He looked over at me with a look of sadness in his eyes, "If you hadn't meant what you said, or if you hadn't turned good and we had to kill you I think I would feel kinda similar. And you know how hard broken glass is to put back together." His voice was barely a whisper now.

I nodded my head, "I know…"

"Hey wait!"

We turned around at the sound of a womans voice calling out to us. There, running up the stairs was none other than Belle. And she was holding…a tin…of something. I couldn't tell what.

She stopped when she reached us and then she smiled, "I forgot." She walked up to me and Genis, "Here, this should help with the wound on your back. I…the woman I go to see everyday, Virginia, agreed to help me make it."

Genis took the ointment and nodded his head, "Thank you. I'll make sure to use it."

Belle nodded her head, "I heard from Mandy and Amy that you were heading to the hotsprings. Put this on after you get out and it should help it heal even faster."

Genis nodded his head once more, a small smile now on his lips, "Thank you…again. Really, to think an elf helped make this."

Belle blinked, "Ah, yes, an elf. But how did you know she was an elf? I never said anything about her when you were awake," she turned to me, "Unless you said something."

I just smiled and she seemed to understand. Her eyes narrowed and she looked from me to Genis with a slightly confused look on her face. Then she seemed to get it. And she shook her head, "Well you _did _promise you wouldn't say anything. But I guess I shouldn't have asked you to keep that a secret anyway." She backed away, "I suppose I'll see you if you ever come back to Exire." She nodded her head over at Raine before turning and walking back down the stairs.

Shortly after she left Raine spoke, "So she means mother…helped make that?" she looked curious as well as hopeful.

I nodded my head, "Yes, apparently Belle goes and visits Virginia--your mother--every day. She must have told her about you, Genis."

Genis nodded his head, "Yeah." Then he smiled, "I'm glad. I wish I could thank her."

"I'm sure Belle will do that for you."

Genis turned to face April and his smile grew, "Yeah you're right."

"And now we should leave." Yuan stated, his wings now present on his back, "There's going to be a storm soon." He pointed at the darkening clouds.

"A storm?" Zelos groaned, "I don't wanna travel through _rain_ the entire time."

Presea nodded her head, "Yes he's right. How far until we get to the hotsprings?"

Yuan sighed, shaking his head from side to side, "You mean you don't know? You could have asked the mayor like I did."

_'Well he does have a point…'_

No one answered and Yuan sighed again, "Fine, it's a few hours from here in," he pointed his finger to the left, "That direction."

That, if I remembered correctly, was over towards where Kloitz's grave was.

_'I wonder if Genis' mother will be there?' _I shook my head, _'No, don't think about that, it's better if he _doesn't_ meet her.'_

We boarded our rhieards shortly after. I got Genis', and April got on Raine's. Everyone else got their own Rhieard and Yuan and Kratos used their wings.

They, of course, headed off first as we lifted into the air. As we flew on the outskirts of the village I noticed that many of the half-elves had turned their attention to us. Apparently they've never seen a Rhieard before.

Then again most of the probably haven't.

We made it past the busiest part of the town and then over towards where Virginia's house was.

And I was right.

There was a woman with silver hair, similar to Raines, wearing a light blue dress standing in front of Kloitz grave with, what looked like to me, a white rose in her hand. She had her eyes closed, and she seemed to be singing. But I couldn't hear the words.

I felt Genis gasp and turned to face him, he had seen her. My grip around his waist tightened and I urged him to look ahead of him so that we wouldn't crash into anyone else.

It seemed that April was making Raine do the same.

"But Mithos--"

I turned my attention back to Genis, "Hmm?"

"That was--"

I shook my head, "I know. But we need to concentrate on getting you better."

He looked upset for a minute, but he turned back around and didn't say another word…or at least he didn't for a while.

It wasn't until we were a few miles away from Exire, over the open ocean, before he said, almost too quietly for even me to hear, "Uh-oh…"

"What?"

He jumped when he heard me speak, but turned and looked at me none-the-less, "Look over at Zelos."

I did and noticed one thing. He and Lloyd were flying right next to each other…talking about something that was obviously embarrassing…or at least it was embarrassing for Lloyd--whose face was almost as red as his shirt.

"Now look at Colette"

I looked over at the blond Chosen only to see that she was about to cry…

"…I feel sorry for her." Genis whispered, "But…she should have known. Or at least _now_ she should know."

"She can't be with him." I finished and Genis nodded his head.

"It's kinda mean though, that they're doing it in public." We looked over at Raine, who was usually the one who broke them apart, but she was too wrapped up in a conversation with April to notice.

_'how iron--oh?' _I looked down as we passed over land. I looked ahead and smiled, "We're almost there."

Genis turned to follow my gaze as well, "Really?" he smiled, "That's good…my back's getting sore from standing for so long."

-----------------------------

Genis' POV

I felt Mithos' eyes on my back as I said this, and I was half expecting him to ask if he would like to take over when suddenly Sheena shouted, "What's that?!"

We turned to look at her, and she was pointing somewhere ahead of us.

Then I realized that she must've noticed where the hotsprings were too. Then again, that wouldn't surprise me. She's lived here, in Tethe'alla , her whole life, why wouldn't she know where the hotsprings were?

We got to the small island and landed our Rhieards. The clouds here weren't dark at all, and everything seemed really peaceful…or at least as peaceful as things could get granting that the Tower of Salvation had just collapsed only a few days ago.

To everyone in both worlds, that was the main concern. But for us…

I looked back over at Mithos, who was staring ahead, he seemed to be watching everything. He watched as Zelos and Lloyd continued talking about whatever they were talking about, he watched as Colette spoke with Sheena and Presea, her eyes looking sad, but no tears were falling from them. And he watched how Yuan, Kratos, Raine, April, and Regal talked about what to do. Even though the visit to the hotsprings was supposed to be for relaxation I doubt anyone could forget _why_ we were here.

I was hurt, Presea looked like she was about to be sick, and Zelos was still recovering after his hands were mysteriously healed. And those who had appeared before us just yesterday caused all this.

I shuddered at the thought. Who knew where Mitosu and his friends were? They could be anywhere. And Feral was most likely still in pain…even though I couldn't feel her.

"Come on Genis," I felt Mithos take my hand in his, pulling me towards the rest of the group. We were heading towards the hotsprings and, in a matter of minutes, we were walking through the entrance.

"You know I thought they had it split last time I was here." Sheena asked out loud, looking over at where the steaming hotsprings was, "It looks like they don't anymore."

"Hah, well what can ya do?" Zelos stated with a smirk on his face. Of course shortly after he was slapped.

"You're still a pervert even--" she dropped her sentence when she looked over at a still-gloomy looking Colette.

"Even what?" Zelos shot back, rubbing his head, "And that still really hurts."

Sheena just turned away, stomping off into the inn with both Colette and Presea following behind her.

Raine let out a sigh, "She needs to be careful with what she says," she turned to face Zelos, "I suppose we have no choice, you boys can go first."

"I think I'll pass." Regal stated before going into the inn.

"Well what's up with him all of a sudden?" Zelos asked, crossing his arms over his chest, "Talk about rude."

"Um," April stepped closer to us, "I think…we'll wait for you to get done before we choose rooms. That would only be fair." She turned to face Raine, "Um, let's go in now." Raine just nodded her head and allowed April to drag her inside.

Zelos then turned to face us, "Okay then--I'll go get the towels, then we can change." And just like that he ran off…to wherever you get the towels from.

A few minutes later and we're testing out the water, making sure to get in slowly so that it doesn't burn us.

Once we were in the water…I felt like I might melt. It was so warm, and it was definitely soothing after standing for so long on the Rhieard. I sank down until the water was up to my chin and smiled.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself." Mithos stated from next to me. His feet were dangling in the water and he was putting his hair up into a ponytail.

I nodded my head; "Yeah…it's so warm."

I felt the water rise as he slipped in as well. I heard him sigh and turned to face him. He smiled over at me, "Yeah it's really soothing."

"You can feel it?"

Mithos nodded his head, "yeah, as you can see, I took my Cruxis Crystal off. It…seems it wearing off faster than…than it did before." But he looked worried when he said that.

Still…it was good that it was wearing off, "Really? So you'll be able to feel again completely if you keep it off?"

He nodded his head, "I guess so."

"Hey, hey, what're you two talkin' about?" Zelos practically yelled from over on the other side of the hotsprings (A/N: yes the hotsprings is huge…I didn't think it was big enough in the game). He waded over to us and sat down next to me, and grinned.

"What do you want Zelos?"

"Didn't you hear me? What're you two talkin' about?" he cocked his head to the side, his grin widening, "Or is it something you can't tell anyone?" then his eyes widened, "Wow, I didn't know you had it in ya, Mithos."

Mithos blinked, his eyes narrowing, "What?"

"You're taking advantage of poor little Genis! And in, well, I can't say broad daylight but I can say out in the open."

I felt my face heat up as he said that.

"Wh-what? What…makes you say that?" Mithos asked, and I could tell he was straining to keep his voice even.

Zelos laughed, "Ah-ha-ha-ha, Raine's gonna be so mad at you!"

Mithos let out a sigh that made Zelos stop laughing in an instant, "Well Zelos, that's a pretty outrageous remark, coming from you. For one I am _not_ taking advantage of Genis. I wouldn't _do_ that. And two, Raine would have nothing to get mad at me about."

"But still--"

"There is no 'still'."

"Y'know you're just about as annoying as Genis." Zelos growled and that's when I knew someone had to step in.

"Zelos calm down." Kratos stated, sounding serious.

But Zelos didn't seem to hear him.

"Am I missing something? Or are you deciding to just keep me in the dark?" Yuan asked, but no one answered him.

Finally Lloyd came up behind Zelos, tugging his shoulder and making him turn to face him--breaking the not-so-friendly glare he had been giving Mithos.

"Calm down Zelos."

"But--"

"He's telling the truth you do need to calm down."

"But I don't like brats. Especially brats who look like a girl…even if he was the all powerful ruler of Cruxis."

Mithos glared at him and I could swear that, if a glare could burn, he would've burned a hole straight through Zelos's skull.

"You do realize that I could very well beat you even if I don't have my Cruxis Crystal on? And I do _not_ look like a girl."

He was about to get up, but I placed a hand on his shoulder, making him stop.

Zelos tried to turn back around to face Mithos, but he didn't get that far. Yeah Lloyd was probably desperate to get him to not fight while we were here, and yeah…he was Lloyd, meaning he wasn't too bright, but I gotta say that what he did to shut Zelos up was really…tactful and it just plain made sense. And I'm sure he'd get in a lot of trouble from Raine because of it.

Of course right now she's probably not even paying attention. Because if she _was_ paying attention then she would have seen them kiss…and then start French kissing…and then…

"I am _definitely_ missing something. Kratos why didn't you--" Kratos shut Yuan up by covering his mouth with his hand, shaking his head from side to side.

"Genis don't look," Mithos said after their towels had somehow come loose. He grabbed me and literally dragged me back towards where our clothes were being kept.

And that's when we heard Raine.

"YOU TWO STOP THAT RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, causing the two to jump apart as if the other was poisonous.

I watched from behind the wooden panel of the entrance to the changing room as the two grabbed their towels and wrapped them back around their waists.

"You two…" Raine panted, glaring them straight in the eye, her cheeks flushed in anger, "should be _sooo_ ashamed of yourselves! Genis--a _twelve-year-old_--was with you! How _dare_ you display _that kind_ of behavior around--" then she looked around, "Genis…?"

I waved my hand, "We're over here sis!"

she made a move to walk over to us, but just then Mithos handed me my clothes, "Wait a sec, I'm getting changed." She nodded her head and turned back to Lloyd, Zelos, Yuan, and Kratos.

I wanted to stay a bit longer just to hear what she was going to say to them, but Mithos tugged me to one of the back changing stalls. He had his clothes in his hands as well. He pulled the curtain until it was covering the doorway of the small stall before turning back to face me, "You okay?"

I blinked, "Um…yeah I am, why?"

He shook his head, "That was getting a bit 'M' rated--"

"--I've read worse." I cut him off, a grin on my lips.

He smirked at this, "Why doesn't that surprise me."

I turned to face away from him, slipping on my underwear underneath the towel before letting it drop. I quickly picked up the top of my outfit and slipped it on before turning back to face Mithos, "Why doesn't it surprise you?"

"It just…doesn't." He shrugged. I noticed that he too was now only half-dressed. That made me blush and I turned away.

_'I…really should be offended by that comment. But…' _I glanced back over my shoulder at him, _'but I'm not…' _

I let out a sigh and slipped on the black trousers before turning back around. Mithos was trying, and failing, to do the clasp to the back of the necklace/charm that we had made.

"Want me to help?" I asked and he nodded his head. I quickly did the clasp and moved it to the back, untangling my angel feather, which somehow still looked brand new, to the front. He smiled at me and then slipped on his red shirt. After that was on he picked up my choker/charm.

"Want me to help put this on?"

I nodded my head and turned around. I felt the familiar coolness of the metal against my neck as well as the familiar snap of it locking in place, before I turned back to face him.

"There." He smirked, "I'm surprised no one's noticed this yet."

I shook my head, "What do I say if they _do_ notice it?"

"That it was a charm I gave you."

Well that was the truth--

"Genis!" I heard Raine call from the entrance to the changing room.

"Coming!" I called out, smiling at Mithos before walking past him. I walked to the entrance and saw a worried looking Raine standing there. I smiled, "Yeah?"

"Did you--"

"No he didn't see anything." Mithos said, coming up behind me, "I pulled him into the changing room before he could."

I blushed, "you're making it sound like I _wanted_ to see what happened."

He just shook his head.

"Well," Raine started, "It's good you didn't see anything, but is your back feeling better?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah, it is. I didn't get a chance to put that…ointment on it. But I think I'll do that in the morning."

She nodded her head, and then pulled me into a hug, "Okay. Now let's go inside. We have the rooms already chosen…not that we have much choice on them, since we're the last ones here."

I nodded my head and followed her past the hotsprings--where Zelos and Lloyd were being scolded by Yuan and Kratos--and into the small inn with Mithos following me.

We walked into the main lobby and Raine went over to the main desk to get the room numbers. I looked over to my left, over by the fireplace, and sitting around the fire, were Colette, Sheena, and a sleeping Presea, whose head was resting in Colette's lap. To my right Regal and April were talking about something in hushed voices, glancing out the window near the hotsprings before drawing their attention back into their conversation.

About fifteen minutes later and everyone was gathered around the fire, the keys to the rooms spread on the floor.

"Okay then," Raine held up the first key, "This goes to the only bedroom with two beds in the inn that's not already taken." She threw the keys at Zelos, who barely managed to catch them; "You're staying in that room with Lloyd, since no one else wants to share a room with either of you."

"Gee thanks." Zelos muttered standing up. Lloyd got up as well, but before they could reach the hall that their room was on Raine called out:

"And if I come in there to get you in the morning and you're in the same bed you'll both be in trouble."

They both winced before nodding their heads and rushing down the hall.

Raine turned back to face everyone, "And now, there's a bit of a problem. You see there are only three rooms left, and they each only have three beds."

"So that means nine people…when we have ten." Colette said as she counted the heads in the room.

"Yes. I already know you three will want to have a room to yourself," She handed Sheena a key as Colette gently woke Presea up. She groaned and sat up, following the other two girls out of the room on shaky legs.

"And you three will have to share a room again." She handed the key to Kratos and nodded at them. They got up and followed Sheena, Colette, and Presea out of the lobby and towards the hall where their room was.

"And that," Raine looked at all four of us, "Leaves us."

"That's fine with me." April stated, smiling sweetly at us, "But who will share?"

"I don't mind sharing with Genis." Mithos immediately spoke up, a small smile on his lips, "after all, I think you two should get the beds."

Raine opened her mouth to respond, but April did for her, "Thank you so much Mithos! You're so sweet!" she walked over to where he was sitting, against the couch, and kissed him on the forehead. She backed up immediately and smiled knowingly at both of us.

This made both of us blush.

She was making it sound like she knew something…

_'I'll have to ask Mithos about it later.'_

Raine let out a sigh and stood up, "Fine then…let's go."

We got up and followed her down the hallway to the only room left on the hall. It was near the end, and I have to say it was probably the darkest room, it might also have been the coldest…but I couldn't tell. When I slipped underneath the covers, and then feeling Mithos slip in next to me…I felt really warm.

I smiled and closed my eyes, murmuring, "Good night." Before I felt myself drifting off into possibly one of the most peaceful dreams I've had in a while…

------------------------------

Mitosu's POV (yes…again)

The clock struck twelve and began to chime as I waited outside the steel plated doorway to Neo's secret chambers. Why she had a secret chamber in the 'secret' part of the castle--the part of the castle that had just recently been built thus no one really knew about it--I didn't know.

But then again, this is Neo we're talking about…and I already knew she wasn't--

I shook my head violently then, running my fingers through my black, slightly damp, hair, "No I can't think like that. She might hear me."

"Yes she might hear you. And then what?" Seiji snapped, appearing next to me. She was obviously still upset about what had happened earlier and I couldn't blame her. Seeing Jiniasu kiss someone…well…it didn't happen often and it definitely wasn't a pleasant thing to watch.

"At least he didn't fight." I pointed out only to have Seiji growl at me.

"I don't wanna hear it. He's your…well…whatever he is to you, but he's _my_ _older brother_! That's just," she shivered, "Gross! You know I hate guys!"

I shook my head, "Yes I know that. I've known that since you told me you hated me back all those years ago."

Seiji looked over at me, a startled look on her face, "You're remember _those_ days again? Gosh how long ago was that? A few decades at least."

I nodded my head, "Yes just a few."

This earned me a glare, "You don't have to be so sarcastic."

I didn't have anything to say to that, so I said nothing.

Finally, after about fifteen or twenty minutes, the doors to the secret chamber opened and an all too familiar woman dressed in a pale green top, that cut a bit too revealingly across her chest, and a matching dress and slippers, walked out. She tucked a strand of pale green hair behind her ear, her emerald eyes flashing, "So you're here."

We nodded our heads.

"Where's Jiniasu?"

I wasn't supposed to answer, so I let Seiji.

"I don't know, Miss Neo. He came back with us when we went through the OtherWorldly Gate…but I haven't seen him since we came to the city."

Neo's eyes narrowed as she turned to me, "Do you know?"

I shook my head, "I'm afraid not…ma'am."

She sighed, "I see. Well, I'll have you know that Pronyma's healed. If you wish to see her you can. She's resting though so I wouldn't try to move her."

I nodded my head and quickly walked by her into the room. I peered across the dimly lit room to find Pronyma, just like Neo had said, completely healed and laying on a day bed. She lifted her head when she saw me and smiled.

"I'm…here again aren't I?"

I nodded my head, "Yes you're here again. But you have to learn not to be so weak. She's getting annoyed you know."

She sighed, "I know."

"And it doesn't do you any good if you keep remembering him…Mithos."

Pronyma sighed once more, twisting a strand of her dark green hair around her finger; "Yes I know that too. I didn't expect that trying to awaken Feral for a second time would be so strenuous."

"Well then you shoulda thought of that before you tried." A voice echoed off the walls.

We both jumped and turned our gaze to the left. There in the shadows, was none other than Jiniasu.

I scowled, "You do realize that your sister is being interrogated right now because you didn't show up?"

Jiniasu shrugged, fiddling with the bandages hiding his eye before staring back at me with his single good eye, "And I should care because?"

I shook my head, "Maybe because she's your sister?"

Jiniasu tilted his head to the side, a sickening grin on his face, "How about not? Or at least not right now? " He moved forward eerily slowly, "Besides I have something to tell you that might seem interesting."

I folded my arms across my chest, but didn't fully turn to look at the blond, "And?"

"That boy, Genis…my other self…he's--"

Then the doors to the room opened.

And Neo walked in with a smirk on her face, "Jiniasu…"

Jiniasu flinched, "Yes Miss Neo?"

She smiled and moved closer until she was standing between him, and me "Why didn't you show up before me? Seiji doesn't like covering for you."

Jiniasu shook his head, "I didn't ask her to." His voice sounded soft, like it always did when he spoke to our mistress.

It slightly unnerved me, though, that he could go from controlling his own actions and then to nearly submissive in just a split second.

Neo let out a bored sigh, "Oh really? Well then," She turned to face me and Pronyma, "I suppose I'll just have to take you else where. If I'm not back within two hours tell him to wait."

I merely nodded my head, watching as they left.

Once I was sure they had gone I sighed, "He really needs to watch what he does." I moved my head up to touch my face, "she already did that to his eye…why can't he just _listen_ to her for once?"

--------------------------------------

**Mitosu: **And I thought you said I'd find out a bit more about Jiniasu in this chapter…since you're conveniently leaving me in the dark on anything that has to do with him and Neo.

**Me: **Sorry…that didn't go as planned…but at least the readers know who hurt Jiniasu's eye.

**April: **But that's not exactly a good thing.

**Me: **No it's not…but it's a little better…I guess. -cough- but really this didn't go as planned. The whole hotsprings scene changed _completely_ from the one I originally had and it'd definitely push the 'T' rating if Raine hadn't stopped/shouted at Zelos and Lloyd…

**Mitosu: **so you're not used to writing anything like that, eh? Well you'll have to get used to it before the sequel.

**Me: **Yeah I know. Now then, R&R! More reviews equal faster updates! And I've been on a roll for the past two weeks…I mean, I usually update every two weeks, but I've been updating every week now -smiles-


	54. Watching the Sunrise

**Me: **and here's the second half of the hotsprings scene.

**Feral:** Hmm, yes, and this is the chapter that may make the rating definitely go up?

**Me: **Speaking of ratings, I won't change it from the 'T' rating--but to be safe I'll just say that from TU53 on, it'll be rated M, to be on the safe side.

**Feral: **Smart move on your part.

**Me: **I know…

**To Understand: Part Fifty-four**

**Watching the Sunrise**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**LittleLinor: **Hah, I knew you'd like that part and the dialogue. And yeah April really didn't leave another option for Raine now did she (not that she would have minded sharing the bed…but yeah…this isn't about them now is it?). And yes Jiniasu was going to tell Mitosu about Genis and Mithos' relationship, and he was going to say how ironic it was…along with a few other things. Unfortunately you don't get to hear those just yet. But when they do show up again, they'll talk about it (maybe…if I remember). Now here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Moonshine's Guide: **Hey…that game actually sounds familiar. My older sister taught me it once (a long time ago) but she never told me the name of it. The slap down part sounds familiar…along with the sandwiches. But it does sound interesting. As for if Lloyd and Zelos will conveniently forget (which Zelos is oh so good at)…you'll have to wait and see. I'm glad you liked the chapter and here's the next one.

**Viaroura Fox: **Yes poor Jiniasu. Out of those three characters he's the one tormented the most. And I feel so bad doing it too…and as for what Neo did to him. You might find out the next time the two appear—which as of right now is when they fight against Pronyma and she dies. Though I'm not sure yet, I might put in another Mitosu's POV just because I know a lot of people like his character. And yeah Zelos really does need to learn not to mess with people who can cause him significant amounts of pain…though as of right now I doubt Mithos could kill anyone or else Genis'd be extremely angry with him. Well then, here's the next chapter, enjoy!**  
**

**Lyurii-**You just finished the first thirty chapters and you think it's one of the best? That makes me so happy! And yeah most Gethos fanfics are oneshots--or two shots--and don't go really far into the storyline besides what's given in the game. Mine is probably the first (and only) Gethos fanfic that's over fifty chapters. As for if this'll be M rated soon. As of the last chapter I'm rating it M as a warning, but overall it's rated T, it's just these few chapters near the end that really need. Also, about the oneshot…I don't think anything in TU can be a spin off just in an oneshot--except for the one I'm planning, which is more of a bridge between TU and its sequel. But you can say you got inspiration from TU, but not have it associated with it. That way you could write whatever you wanted without having to worry about what you can or can't put in it (and there's a lot of stuff you probably wouldn't be able to put in it if it was a spin off). But I would like to read it when you get done with it. And of course, thanks so much for the review and here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

**Feral: **And now it's the girls turn for the Hotsprings, right?

**Me: **Right.

**Feral: **But first it's Genis and Mithos right?

**Me: **Right.

**Feral: **Okay then…Harmony283 doesn't own ToS and she never will…so don't sue her. She only owns me, April, and the plot so no stealing!

**Authors Note: **Mhm. Well then I guess I should get going on explaining what'll happen in this chapter. As you all remember, in the last chapter everyone arrived at the hotsprings…but no one really got a chance to enjoy them. Now it's early morning and Mithos decides he wants to enjoy his time there by watching the sun rise with Genis. Also, the girls get their round in the hotsprings as well.

**Feral: **I wonder what'll happen.

**Me: **You'll find out.

**----------------**----------------------

Mithos' POV

_'Mom! Mom!' I cried out…watching in vain as everything around me turned black…_

My eyes snapped opened and I sat up quickly, looking around the dark room. Over on the other side of the room I saw Raine and April's sleeping form in the two beds. Next to me Genis was curled up in a ball fast asleep.

I let out a barely audible sigh and turned to look at the clock, which hung over the doorway to the room. It read 5:49AM, too early for anyone to be up. And something told me I wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon.

"Nn…Mithos…" Genis mumbled, gripping my left hand, which was on the bed next to his head, sleepily.

"Genis?" I whispered, leaning down to look at him closer. His eyes were barely open and he was looking at me. I smiled, "What are you doing up this early?"

"I should be asking that to you." He whispered, sitting up, "It's…" he looked over at the same clock I had looked at, "The sun's not even up yet."

I nodded my head, "I know. I just couldn't get back to sleep." 

He tilted his head to the side, "A bad dream?"

I sighed at this, playing with a strand of my blond hair with my free hand, "Maybe. I always have bad dreams when I sleep. I did back when I was trying to sleep after I left you in Flanoir. And now again…"

Genis moved his hand so that it was now on my shoulder, "I-I don't really know what to say to that, but, um, if there's any way I can help you feel better…I'll, um, do it."

I smirked, "Oh really?"

Then he blushed, "I-I don't mean anything like _that_." He looked away, "You can be really perverted sometimes…" 

I shrugged, "Not my fault what you said sounded like you were offering something else." I moved a hand to underneath his chin, turning him to look back at me, he was still blushing, "But don't worry I won't ask you to do anything you aren't ready for." 

He just nodded his head at this, turning away and rubbing his back with his free hand--or at least trying to.

That gave me an idea.

"Hmm, I think I know what we can do that might make us both feel better." 

Genis looked back at me, his baby-blue eyes curious, "What's that?"

"Let's go to the hotsprings. No one's in it now…it's way too early. And we need to put some of that ointment stuff Belle gave you on your back anyway."

Genis nodded his head, "Yeah, you're right. I think I left it in my bag." He crawled across the length of the bed and reached down at the foot of it, picking up the large mailbag-like backpack and opening it. He shuffled around the contents for a few minutes before pulling out the container of ointment. He looked back at me, waving it in the air, and said, "Let's go." He looked over at Raine and April before getting off the bed and walking to the door.

I followed him out and we made our way to where the towels were being kept, along with some bandages and other cleaning materials. After that we headed to the changing rooms, changed, and then went to the Hotsprings. The night sky was turning from a midnight blue to a paler shade of blue and I knew the sun was going to rise in a few minutes.

I turned to look at Genis, who was testing out the water with his feet, and smiled, "The sun's going to rise soon."

He looked over at me and then up at the sky, "Yeah you're right. I don't remember the last time I saw the sunrise."

I moved closer to him and sat down, "Well hopefully you'll remember it this time." I took the hair tie that I had around my wrist and began putting my hair up. I could tell Genis was watching me and I turned to face him, "Hmm?"

A blush rose to his cheeks and he looked away, "Um…"

I moved closer to him, finally letting my hair fall loose, not worrying that it wasn't up like I had wanted it, "What is it?"

"You…look cute with your hair up." He mumbled, glancing back at me before looking away again. He was about to slip into the water when I grabbed his wrist, he yelped and turned back to me in surprise, "H-huh?"

I leaned in, placing a soft kiss on his forehead, "Thank you."

"Y-you're welcome…?"

Now he looked confused.

He looked so cute when he was confused.

I took a strand of his hair and wrapped around my finger, "You're cute too."

Now he was embarrassed and confused.

"Especially when you're like this…"

He flushed a bright shade of red when I slid into the water with him, "Your hair…it's going to get wet if you don't put it up."

I shrugged, "I don't care."

He reached up, taking a few strands of my own hair in his, a sudden smile spread across his lips, "Y'know…your hair is really pretty in this light. And it's really soft."

I smiled, "Really?"

"Mhm." He paused, and looked away before look back at me again, "Who…who do you take after?"

I blinked, "What?"

"Who do you take after? Your mom or your dad? Because, um, you and Martel…look different. I mean, she has green hair and you have blond." He cracked an unsure smile, "how did that happen?"

I shook my head, "It doesn't really matter, does it? But if you really want to know I'll tell you."

He nodded his head, his unsure smile turning to a full out smile.

He looked so cute when he smiled.

I shook my head, "Fine, fine. Martel…she takes after our father—who was human."

"Then you take after your mother?"

I nodded my head, "Yes, her looks," I paused and then muttered, "as well as her health." 

Genis blinked, "Health?"

I sighed, "No…it's nothing."

Genis scowled, "If you say it's nothing then—" 

"Am I your sister?"

He opened his mouth, obviously planning on saying something that would prove me wrong, but he hesitated, "No." 

"Then when I say it's nothing it really _is_ nothing." I let his silver strands of hair fall from my fingers, as I wrapped my arms around him. I pulled him close and gently kissed him on the lips.

He melted immediately into my hold, just like I wanted him to, and when we broke apart the first of the suns rays could be seen. I watched, as Genis' eyes grew wide, a child-like fascination lighting them. He turned back to face me and smiled.

"It's so amazing…and beautiful."

I nodded my head, "Yes, it is." I pulled him closer and smirked when I felt him struggle.

"M-Mithos…? Um…this is…" Genis tried to form a sentence but he only managed to get out a few words before a I leaned back against the rocks surrounding the hotsprings, pulling him with me. 

"Mithos--you're…I'm…too close!" Genis squeaked and tried to move out of my hold once more, "I thought you said you weren't trying to take advantage of me." Now he was whining.

"You mean what that idiot Chosen said? But this isn't last night." 

Genis looked away from me, his face red, "But still…you said you'd never do that. Even if…" he looked back at me, "Even if this is the first time we're alone in a while…"

Well he did have a point there. I sighed and let my arms fall to my side, but Genis didn't move like I thought he would. Instead he rested his head on my chest, a blush still tinting his cheeks.

"Genis…? You can move now." I whisper and he shakes his head

"This is okay." He said, lifting his head to look at me, "But don't squeeze me…it was hurting my back."

"Ah--if it was then why didn't you tell me? Is your back still hurting? I'm sorry." I placed my hands on each of his shoulders and smiled apologetically.

Then Genis started to giggle.

And I blinked, "what?"

"Heh…it's okay…it doesn't hurt anymore but," he smiled a cute child-like smile at me, "It's…you always get so worried over me when I'm hurt. The only other person who gets this worried is Raine."

I shook my head, "And why _wouldn't_ I be worried?"

"Erm--I mean--"

"I _love you_ Genis." To make my point clear I kissed him a little more than just gently on the lips.

When I pulled away Genis was blushing even more and his eyes were closed. I smiled and slipped my arms around his waist, waiting for him to say something. And eventually he did.

"Nn…I kinda figured that out already, Mithos." It came out muffled, but at least he replied. I turned to look back at the sun--which had risen more than halfway over the horizon--and sighed.

"We should be getting out soon. Or else we'll turn to prunes--and your sister will worry if we aren't in bed." I shifted and Genis mutely got off my lap and stood up. We quickly made our way to the changing rooms--placing our towels on the racks so that they could dry--and changed into our clothes.

But before Genis could put his shirt on I stopped him. Holding the ointment in one hand and spreading it with the other, I spread it over his wound gently--hoping that it didn't sting him.

"Mithos--" he gasped out, flinching to my touch.

"I'm sorry, does it sting?"

He shook his head; "No…it's just really, really _cold_."

I blinked, "Cold? Well of course anything would feel cold after you get out of a warm bath."

"Yeah but…ugh…it's freezing! It feels like ice!" he squirmed trying to get out of my reach but I stopped him with my free hand.

"Stop struggling. It's cold to you but it's fine to me."

He turned to face me, "Yeah well you don't have it rubbing into your skin! It's _cooold_." 

"Well you don't have to whine about it." I said, tapping him on the forehead with my index finger, "You're more mature than that. I know it."

He scowled and turned back around, not saying anything more as I finished spreading the ointment over the entire wound. Then I grabbed the nearby bandages--the ones from the first aide at the entrance of the changing room--and began to cover his wound.

When I finished I heard a faint grumbling noise and smiled, "Are you hungry?"

Genis turned to face me and nodded his head, "A little. Um, are you hungry? Or do you think you can taste anything if I made it for you?"

I thought this over. It made me outright nervous that I could begin feeling so quickly after my Cruxis Crystal had come off…but…in a way it was good.

"I don't know, but I might be able to taste some. What are you planning on making?"

Genis smiled, "The traditional breakfast. If they let me use their kitchen, anyway."

I nodded my head, "I'm sure they will. You could give them leftovers or something to thank them." 

His smile only grew at that, "Yeah! That'd be great!"

I helped him slip back into his shirt before we headed out of the changing room and back to the inn.

-------------------------------

Raine's POV

I let out a long sigh as I stretched my arms and sat up in bed. I looked up at the clock hanging over the door and noticed that it was closing in on seven thirty. If we wanted to make it to Dirks house by tonight--or more like the Flanoir base before tonight--then now would be the time for everyone to get up.

_'Maybe we can even get to try out the hotsprings. After all the men had it last ni--'_

I turned to where I thought the sleeping form of my brother and Mithos would be…only to find that no one was in the bed. The covers were unmade, and Genis' bag had been opened.

"Wh-what?" I got up and walked over to the door, looking down the hall, "Don't tell me he's already awake…"

I looked back over my shoulder at a still sleeping April. I smiled, she looked so peaceful while she slept. I turned back towards the door when I heard voices floating down the hallway and walked out, making sure to shut the door of the room behind me.

As I got closer to the lobby the voices became clearer. Then I saw them, Genis and Mithos, sitting on the couch talking about something that was obviously very exciting. I pressed myself against the wall so that I was hidden behind the short ledge of wall that stuck out to create the arching doorway, and listened.

"Really? That's what you like?" Genis asked, his voice curious.

"Mmhm, so I would like to try it out sometime."

"Um…but I'm not sure if I can do that…"

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be good at it."

"Well…what else do you like?"

"I should be asking you that since…well…since we're both going to contribute right? It won't just be one of us working and the other sitting back and enjoying the show."

That made me freeze, _'What in the name of the Goddess—or Mithos' older sister—are they talking about?' _

Well the only way I could see to find out was to barge in on the conversation…so that's exactly what I did.

I stepped away from the wall and walked into the lobby. One of the things I immediately noticed when I had walked into the room was that…Genis…and Mithos…were sitting _extremely_ close together.

So close that it was a bit unnerving.

And they were looking through a book of some sort.

Genis was the first to look up at me and smile, "Sis! You're up! This is great!" he got up off the couch and walked over to me, his smile getting bigger, "Did you sleep okay?"

I nodded my head stiffly and smiled, "Yes I did."

"That's great! Oh, are you going to go get everyone up now?"

I blinked, "Hmm, well I suppose I should now shouldn't I?"

He nodded his head and turned back to Mithos, "Yeah, besides, we were going over something just before you came in here."

"And that would be?"

He turned and looked back at me with confusion clear in his eyes, but he was still smiling, "Well we were thinking that we could ask the owners of the inn if we could use their kitchen. We were just going over what everyone might want for breakfast."

That, to say the least, caught me by surprise.

_'Th-they were talking about…_food_…?' _my mind practically screamed out, I had bite my tongue--not too hard of course--in order to keep from saying that outloud. Instead I put on a smile and said, "Really? That's so kind of you. I'll go get everyone now, besides," I looked down the hallway, trying to hide the startled expression on my face, "I'm worried about certain people. I'll be right back."

Genis nodded his head and I felt his eyes on my back as I walked down the long hallway, stopping at the first door of the rooms that Colette, Sheena, and Presea were staying in. Ironically enough, just as I was about to open the door…it opened from the inside. I stepped away quickly as the door opened quickly, and watched as Colette stumbled out. She looked worried, and when she saw me she looked both surprised and apologetic.

"Ah, Professor Raine! I didn't see you there! Are you okay?"

I nodded my head, "I'm fine, but it looks like you aren't. What's wrong?" I asked, looking past her into the room. Sheena was still asleep, but it looked like Presea was awake.

"It's Presea!" Colette whispered, "She's…I think she's running a fever."

This surprised me, "Is that why she wasn't feeling well yesterday?"

Colette nodded her head, looking back at the pink haired girl, who was wrapped tightly in her blankets, but she seemed to be tossing and turning.

"I--I don't know how to cure a fever but…"

"But maybe I can help." April stated from somewhere behind me, making me turn to face her. She walked forward into the room and went over to Presea. She placed her palm on the girl's forehead and then quickly pulled it way. She sighed and turned to us, "She definitely has a fever. I can help the fever go down, but I think she may need to relax for a while."

"Hmm? What's wrong?" I turned to face a tired looking Kratos and a wide-awake Yuan, along with a silent Regal coming out of their rooms.

"Presea's running a fever."

Regal's eyes widened, "What? Is she okay?"

"I can lower the fever," April said with a reassuring smile, "But she may need to rest a bit. Hmm, maybe the Hotsprings will help with that. But," she looked down the hall and I did as well, noticing that Genis was coming towards us with a concerned look on his face.

"What's wrong? Is someone sick?" He asked innocently, peering into the room, "ah—Presea? She looked like she wasn't feeling well earlier. Does she have a fever?"

I nodded my head, "Yes she does."

"But I can make that at least go down a bit, so you needn't worry, Genis." April said with the same exact smile on her face.

Genis nodded his head, and then smiled back, "I think…it might take a while to get breakfast ready, and the guys can help so…why don't you have a turn in the Hotsprings? You didn't get a chance to enjoy them last night, so why not now?" his smile widened, "I'm sure you could use the relaxation."

And that's how, a few minutes later, we found ourselves in the Hotsprings, lazily soaking in the warm water.

"This feels so _nice_." Sheena murmured from next to Colette, a large smile on her face.

"Yes it is. Um, Presea, are you feeling any better?" she asked the pink haired girl currently using her as a kind of pillow.

"Nnn, a little. It was nice of the boy's to offer to make us breakfast though." Her voice was barely over a whisper but you could tell she was unbelievably tired. But I could tell now that the flush in her cheeks was more from the heat than a fever, which was good.

"That's good. But please tell us if you have a fever again."

April nodded her head, "Yes, please do. I thought you were fine after what happened in Derris Kharlan but…but I guess not." She sighed and shifted closer to me in the water.

"Oh…and…um…you," She looked from me, to Sheena, to April and then down at herself, "Are really pretty. You have nice figures."

This made me blush, "R-really now?"

"Ah, thank you." April said with a laugh, tucking a strand of her green hair behind her ear.

"I get that all the time. But I'm not _that_ good looking am I? I mean April, your skin is perfect. Then again that must be one of the good things about elven blood." The ninja stated with a shake of her head.

April's smile grew, "Well my mother _was_ beautiful. But then again, I'm sure Virginia's beautiful too. You saw her remember?"

This made both Colette and Sheena gasp as I nodded my head.

Raine merely nodded her head and gazed down at her lap, "Yes I did. Only briefly…but I…I really do take after her. But then I have to wonder who Genis takes after."

"Probably his dad, since that normally happens—you know, the daughter takes after the mother and the son takes after the father?"

I looked down at my lap, "Well I suppose you're right. But honestly I don't want to think of how much he acts like Kloitz right now."

At the questioning looks I explained a bit more.

"I mean, I read a bit out of Virginia's diary…and some things she said about Kloitz disturbed me."

"Like what?" Sheena prodded, leaning forward, an attentive look in her brown eyes. She could be exactly like Lloyd sometimes, and this was one of those times.

"Well—"

"Breakfast is ready!" I heard Zelos call out from the doorway along with a loud crashing sound somewhere behind him. I flinched but got up.

"We should go in now. It seems like Genis and the boy's have prepared a big breakfast for us."

April nodded her head, "Yes that was so sweet of them to take our orders too."

"Yes it was…I wish they could do that more often. They usually leave the cooking up to Genis or Regal. I hope nothing bad happened while they were trying to cook."

Sheena laughed at this, "I highly doubt any one of them is a bad cook, Colette."

"But still—"

Then there was shouting and I knew something was up. We hurried into the changing room to get changed and hurried back into the inn to see exactly what happened.

And…it definitely surprised us.

There was now a large table in the eating area, and different foods were set up on the buffet that was up against the far wall.

Genis quickly ran out of the kitchen, and towards us, with Mithos following behind him, "Hey!" he smiled, "Why don't you serve yourselves first, um…" he looked back at Mithos who sighed.

"We have to take care of something first."

and just like that they ran back through the doors to the kitchen and left us standing there wondering exactly what had happened.

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**Me: **And here it is the next chapter of TU! Finished and complete.

**Feral: **…'finished' and 'complete' are like saying the same exact thing.

**Me: **Oh whatever, you know what I mean.

**Feral: **Or do I? –smirk-

**Me: **That smirk is unsettling, but anyway, R&R! More Reviews equal a faster update! Really they do! And thanks to LittleLinor for reading this before hand to check for mistakes.


	55. Breakfast Together

**Me: **And here's the next chapter of TU!

**April: **yes…and they're officially leaving the hotsprings in this chapter right?

**Me: **Right.

**To Understand: Part Fifty-five**

**Breakfast Together**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**Viaroura Fox: **Yes Raine did somehow jump to conclusions on what Genis and Mithos were talking about (then again, if we overheard that conversation, what would _we_ have thought?) as for what Genis and Mithos are doing…remember all the loud crashes? Well, let's just say some people really _shouldn't_ learn how to cook….-cough- and you'll find out more in this chapter. So yeah, enjoy!

**Moonshine's Guide: **Ah-ha-ha yeah, never eavesdrop (or eavesdrop on purpose) because it can lead to misinterpretations of certain things…-cough- and yes, that's part of the reason why Genis and Kloitz act the same. But in general their personalities are similar. As for what Genis and Mithos are up to, you'll find out in this chapter. But let's just say it's Lloyd's fault…so, yeah, enjoy the newest chapter of TU!

**Lyurii: **I'm glad you liked the whole conversation in the last chapter, I really wasn't sure how it'd go over…and I think I did really well with it. And thanks for the cookie, I really don't wanna get writers block now. And here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**LittleLinor: **Ah, don't worry about that spelling mistake, I added that little bit on after you beta'd it—to make the Hotsprings scene go at least a little slower. Again, I thought it was April's POV (and I was sleepy…I guess). And yes I know you loved the 'food' conversation. And I'm sure you'll like this chapter too! Enjoy!

**DraNKa: **Yeah Raine's 'it's nothing' statement did bother me. I mean, she's smart so of _course_ it has to mean something. She wouldn't say it if it didn't mean something. And yes, naughty Raine. And Mithos…will actually _kind of_ get in trouble when she finds out about the Hotsprings scene. But of course it's April to the rescue (again). As for the kitchen mystery that will be solved in this chapter—enjoy!

**Branchman: **-nods head- that's true, you can definitely read a lot when you're sick. And I can see how this fanfic would keep some people up (some till 5 AM in the morning). And I'm also glad that you haven't lost interest yet, and here's the next chapter—enjoy! 

April:…so…how many more chapters until the end of TU?

**Me: **Well, I'm not sure. They have to go to Dirks house to get the Mana crest made and then they're off to Derris Kharlan to fight with Pronyma and Mitosu one last time.

**April: **So not exactly a long ways away right?

**Me: **-nods head- right.

**April: **Then I guess I should be doing the disclaimer: Harmony283 doesn't own ToS, she just owns any OC that pops up randomly. That includes Feral, Mitosu, Jiniasu, Seiji, Zerasu, me and a few others. Oh yes, and she owns the plot--so no stealing!

**Authors Note: **Hmm, well then, remember in the last chapter how when Raine and the others came in the kitchen to eat there was a lot of loud noises coming from the kitchen? Well you get to find out what happened. And you get to see everyone's reaction to Mithos and Genis being together (along with Mithos' accidental slip of the tongue on their little Hotsprings…uh…thing)! And then there's the whole mana signature thing about trying to find out why Feral chose Genis…and that's about it.

**April: **…um…but Genis already knows why Feral chose him.

**Me: **Yes but really no one besides him and Mithos know anything about Feral, and Genis can't exactly tell without Raine thinking he's crazy…

**April: **Ah, well, that's true…

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Zelos' POV

I could tell something bad was just going to happen when Kratos knocked on our door that morning and told us that Genis wanted all the guys to help him cook breakfast. It wasn't a bad feeling like in something that I would do that was bad…but the brunette--Lloyd--obviously didn't know how to cook. He liked to eat more than that…well he liked to eat more than anyone else in probably the two worlds.

Though of course, one thing stuck out in my mind more than anything else did. It was probably one of the only things I ever cared about overhearing from the brat and his attempts to help Raine cook. It was that if a person didn't know how to cook, keep them out of the kitchen.

Of course Lloyd wasn't one to listen and he _didn't_ stay out of the kitchen.

And now, here we were, staring at the mess in front of us while the girls of the group were obviously sitting down to a wonderful meal.

The door to the kitchen bangs open and I, along with everyone else in the room, turn to face it, seeing who had come through. I half expected it to be Raine, or even maybe Sheena, asking what happened.

_'After all I'm pretty sure they heard the crashes from the hotsprings.' _I let out a silent sigh of relief, though, when I saw it was just the brat and Mithos.

"Hey, is everything at least a little--" Genis' eyes widened at the even BIGGER mess that stood before him, as did Mithos. He looked over at Lloyd, and then at me, as if silently asking what had happened in the few seconds they had been gone.

Lloyd looked away, a sheepish look on his face, as I just shrugged, "Hey, it's Lloyd--anything's possible."

The brat seemed to agree with me as he just shook his head, "I get it, I get it." He looked distastefully at the pile of dirty dishes, and some kind of burnt concoction in a pan, and groaned, "Okay, everyone just go out and tell everyone I'll--"

"We'll--" Mithos butted in.

"_We'll_ be there in a second."

I could have sworn I heard Kratos choke from somewhere behind me. And I definitely saw the smirk, or beginnings of a smirk, on Mithos' lips.

_'Okay yeah, is it really safe leavin' those two alone together?' _I thought about it for a second, seeing how close the two were already standing, _'Well…it's obvious that something's going on.' _I looked over at Lloyd, _'Heck something _has_ to be going on if Lloyd's got _that_ expression on his face.'_

Lloyd, of course, was dense and naïve. He was cute that way. But even so, he knew his best friend, and his preferences. And apparently he knew something was up between Genis and the former ruler of Cruxis. Why else would he half that knowing--yet relieved--look on his face?

So I just nodded my head, "Fine, fine, I wanna see what the girls are up to anyway." I started walking towards the door, but when I passed Genis I noticed something.

Something gold and shiny around his neck. And then there was some type of sparkly…jewel--I think--on the front.

Was it a choker?

_'Since when did the brat wear jewelry? '_

I turned to face him, grabbing his arm and turning him to face me.

"Eh? Zelos…?!" he gasped out, looking up at me in shock.

I just had to smirk at this. The thing around Genis' neck _was_ indeed a choker. But there wasn't a jewel in the front…

It was a feather from one of Mithos' wings.

My smirk widened as I let the boy go and turned away. Before I exited out of the room--with everyone trailing behind me, I turned back around and grinned, "Nice collar by the way, Genis." My smirk widened even more as my eyes fell on Mithos, "I didn't know you liked that kind of thing."

And I promptly headed through the door before anything could be thrown at me.

-----------------------

Mithos' POV

I watched as the red-headed Chosen made his way through the kitchen door and out into the breakfast area. I clenched my fist and growled lightly under my breath.

_'I can't believe he _said_ that.' _I looked over at Genis, who was fumbling with the collar--_'Choker! It's a choker!'_--I had given him. His cheeks had turned a bright shade of red from the blush. He noticed me staring and looked up at me, smiling nervously.

"Do you think he'll tell Raine?"

I shook my head, "Probably not. He'll only call it that if we walk out there right now." I looked over at the dishes piled up in the sink, "So let's at least try to clean this mess up a bit."

Genis nodded his head, but with the blush still on his cheeks, "Um…"

I moved closer to him, "What is it?"

"Are you really into that sort of thing?" he asked, touching the feather imbedded into the gold choker.

"Into…? You have to be more specific than that."

He flinched and his blush deepened, "You know, are you…into what Zelos said? You…you aren't as bad as him are you?"

I quickly shook my head at this, "Of course I'm not as bad as him! He's the worst, most perverted Chosen in all of history. If I was still into resurrecting Martel the way I used to, then I'd definitely say that he's the worst candidate for Martel's new body." We both grimaced at the thought of this.

My sister…being stuck in that perverted man's body…eww…

"Eww, that's gross Mithos!" Genis said with a laugh, though his cheeks were still tinted a light pink color.

I sighed at this, "I know." I looked over at the dishes piled in the sink, "But can you tell me _why_ we decided to help clean the dishes? Aren't you hungry?"

Genis followed my gaze and flinched, "Well…I'm not really that hungry. And I agreed to clean some of the dishes because don't you think Zelos and Lloyd have been through enough?"

This caught me off guard. But I knew that, in a way, he was right.

"But they're still going to get an earful from Raine since she obviously isn't too happy with them in the first place." I said with a shake of my head.

Genis sighed at this and walked over to the sink, turning the faucet on and looking around for a sponge, "I know that. But…I think if she does…she's being really mean and--" he cut himself off as he found the sponge and squirted some soap onto it, picking up one of the dishes and busying himself with cleaning it.

But I could see the look on his face. This must really be bugging him.

"Genis…" I walked up behind him, and slipped my arms around his waist. I heard him gasp, but ignored it as my grip tightened, "Why does that bother you so much?"

He shook his head, "Because," he looked down at the spatula he decided on cleaning, "If…if she doesn't accept them for loving each other then…then…" he inhaled deeply before lowering his voice, "Then she might not accept o-our…our…relationship."

He seemed to have a lot of difficulty saying that, and my grip tightened. Somehow I knew he was right. If his sister overreacted to Zelos and Lloyd merely being together, then how would she react when she finds out about us?

_'Hopefully it won't be as bad, though. Genis is her little brother after all.'_

Then again, that would only mean more pain for me. She wasn't even used to me being friends again with him…

"Mithos…um…"

I looked at the young mage in front of me, "Yes Genis?"

"No…n-nothing you were just, um, being quiet…and I was wondering what you were thinking about." He stuttered, and I could tell he was blushing, and that he already knew what I was thinking about.

But, just to make him know he was right, I grabbed his hands, making him drop the sponge and the dish he had been cleaning--the one that had been used to cut up something or another--to fall into the sink. Of course that made a lot of noise, but I didn't really care.

"Genis, I'm sure Raine wouldn't be mad at you. I don't think she could stay mad at you for long anyway. I think I might be the one in trouble."

Genis turned to face me, even if there was hardly any room to maneuver in our current position--him right next to the sink and me hugging him tightly to my chest--but he somehow managed it.

"Well--"

He was cut off with the door to the kitchen opening and someone walking in.

"Hey Genis, Raine wants to talk--oh…"

I recognized that voice and sure enough, when I had turned to look at the person who had walked in, I was right.

Sheena stood there, one hand holding the door to the kitchen open, with a shocked look on her face. She quickly whirled around muttering something that sounded distinctly like 'not them too' under her breath.

"What is it Sheena?"

"What's wrong? Genis?"

I flinched as I heard Raine and April walk up to Sheena. Well, I wasn't too worried about April, but Raine…after that incident with the kiss, I think my level of trust with her had just been permanently handicapped, never to stand tall again. Not that my trust with her had been that high to begin with, especially when they had found out who I really was.

Sheena quickly moved to the side and I heard Raine gasp. I flinched as I felt her gaze on me, it felt like needles poking into my side, and it was as cold as ice.

"What's going on here." Her voice was just as cold as she eyed us, a look of disgust on her face.

"Um, R-Raine…um…" Genis tried to speak, but his voice wasn't as loud and he didn't sound at all confident.

"What.is.going.on.here" her voice grated like nails on a chalk board, sending a disgusting shiver down my spine.

I felt her move forward, but then suddenly she stopped. I opened my eyes, which I hadn't noticed I closed, and saw that April had a hand on her shoulder, her face void of emotion.

"Let go of me, April."

"You need to calm down."

"I _am_ calm." She turned to look back at me, "Okay, maybe I'm not but…how can I stay calm when--you weren't trying to--"

April sighed, "Raine…"

"What?!" she snapped back, glaring at April, who merely shrugged it off.

"Why are you angry?"

It was a simple question, but for some reason, at least to me, it held a deeper meaning. Why was she asking her that? Didn't she already know?

I looked down at Genis when I felt him shift around in my arms. For a second I thought he was going to pull away, but then he didn't, he just laid his head on my chest, hiding his face in the red fabric of my shirt.

"Why am I angry?" Raine also seemed to think this was a pointless question, "He's trying to…he's trying to…"

"I'm trying to what? What does it look like I'm trying to do?" I asked, gaining back Raines attention, whose eyes widened when she saw how much closer Genis had gotten. I felt honestly bad now, "Can you tell me that? Can you honestly tell me what you think _I'm_ trying to do? Because if you tell me, I can tell you something else that'd probably--"

"Mithos stop it…"

I shut up at Genis' small plea. He pulled away from me and I stepped back, letting him go. I watched as he turned to face Raine, "I'd like to know what you thought too. But…I was afraid you'd react this way." He paused, sighing, "No I _knew_ you were going to act this way."

"Like what way?" she asked, her voice edgy.

"I knew you were going to get angry."

"And I'm definitely missing something, aren't I?" Yuan muttered. And that's when I noticed that we had gained an audience.

Kratos, who was apparently just behind him, coughed and nodded his head, "Well I assume everyone here who doesn't know what's going on is missing something."

"That or you could just be dense." I said with a shrug of my shoulders.

Raine let out an annoyed sigh and muttered, "Well then what exactly _is_ going on? And exactly who already knows what's going on?"

"I think we should go with who knows first, since it's the easiest thing to answer." Genis murmured, "Because, um, I know _I_ know, and of course Mithos does, duh."

"I know." Kratos stated, looking extremely bored.

"I…I do too." April whispered, trying not to look Raine in the eyes.

"And I think both Lloyd and I have already figured that out." Zelos shouted from in the back, making everyone flinch.

Raine nodded her head, "Okay then, now what exactly _is_ going on here? Since apparently I don't know."

"W-well…" Genis started, suddenly looking nervous, as well as embarrassed, "I-it depends…um…what happened now, Mithos was hugging me."

"And what does that _mean_?"

"Um—"

I'm sorry, I'm very sorry but I just _had_ to laugh, well more like snicker, at this, "Are smart people usually dense when it comes to this? Or what?"

Both Raine and Yuan looked offended by this and that just made me want to laugh even more.

"Mithos, that wasn't very nice." Kratos stated, still looking bored by this whole situation. Then again I'm sure he's used to it by now…

I shook my head, "Sorry Kratos, I know, I know. But it just…seems that way doesn't it?"

Kratos looked from Yuans confused face to Raines not-so-amused one, and sighed, "Well I suppose it does have an amount of truth in it. Considering the amount of time it took Yuan to realize Martel ever liked him. But this isn't the same."

Yuan was now practically glaring at me, "Kratos is right, this _isn't_ the same. Now what the…what's going on."

I turned to look at Genis, who still seemed embarrassed, when I suddenly had an idea. An oh-so-wonderful idea.

"Fine, I'll _show_ you."

I grabbed Genis' wrists, making him gasp, and pulled him to me. I gently pressed my lips to his, and instead of hearing him gasp, this time everyone else did.

When I pulled away Genis immediately blushed and turned to look back to see everyone's reactions.

Most of the girl's, except for April, seemed slightly surprised. Regal, of course, looked sick, but the other men in the room didn't seem to mind at all.

Of course, two of them were gay, one was bi, and the other had been around me my entire life, so it wasn't like he cared.

The one thing I hadn't been expecting though, was when a large surge of mana gathered somewhere in front of us.

A bit too suddenly for my liking, a very familiar Summon Spirit appeared before us. This made me scowl. When did Sheena summon him?

"Ah-ha-ha-ha! It's nice to see you finally have a significant other!"

My eye twitched and I let out an annoyed sigh, "What are you doing her Maxwell?"

"Well, well, well, a little annoyed now aren't we? Hmm, did I ruin the perfect moment? Ah, well, timing doesn't matter!" he said with a laugh, stroking his white beard as he lifted his staff, "I just came to see if this little one," He pointed to Genis, "Was feeling any better."

"W-well I am but why? Are you going to try that…mana signature…thing again?" Genis looked nervous and I couldn't really blame him. If something hurt the first time, more likely than not, you wouldn't want to go through with it again.

"Well yes, that's exactly what I came here for." Maxwell's eyes narrowed as the focused on me, "But it seems you don't want that to happen."

"It's a little soon, don't you think? And Genis is just now feeling better."

"Then it won't hurt."

I opened my mouth to reply to this—I really was going to say something unpleasant, but before I could Genis had stepped forward.

"It won't hurt?"

Maxwell nodded his head, "It won't. But if for some reason it does, I'll stop."

Genis looked down at his feet but nodded his head, "I-I see…but, um, c-can we at least eat first?"

Oh yeah, we did make breakfast…

I turned to look at the sink and the dirty dishes still piled there.

'_Yup, we definitely made breakfast.' _

I let out a sigh and placed a hand on Genis shoulder, "He's right. We need to eat—or at least you need to eat. So after we're done eating _then_ you can check his mana signature."

Needless to say, Maxwell didn't seem to pleased with this. This again made me wonder how serious this was in the first place. But I could already tell Genis was hungry, in fact, right as Maxwell disappeared his stomach growled.

And a few minutes later we found ourselves seated around the long dining room table. I was sitting next to Genis, Lloyd and Zelos, who were directly across from us, were talking happily to themselves while Presea, Sheena, and Colette all huddled at one end of the table, whispering to themselves. Regal, Kratos, and a still confused looking Yuan were talking next to us, about strategy's in fighting and different skills. Raine and April were on the far end of the table, talking about something--I couldn't quite hear what--but from the looks Raine kept giving me, I knew I was in trouble later. Even if I technically didn't do anything wrong.

_'Why are smart people always dense when it comes to love?'_ I once again asked myself, turning to look at Genis, who was actually eating the porridge I had made--along with the strawberry filled pastry that he had made himself. He sprinkled some cinnamon on top, along with various dried fruits, before digging in. He noticed me staring after a while and smiled sweetly.

_'Heh, he looks cute even when he's eating.' _I thought amusedly to myself, picking up a nearby napkin and handing it to him before he took too big of a mouthful of porridge, and inevitably causing some of it to leak out and down his chin.

Why did that sound so wrong?

I shook my head desperately and smiled back at the younger half-elf, though now I was seriously wondering if going into the hotsprings alone with him this morning was such a good idea.

"Mithos…you haven't eaten anything yet."

I looked down at the small bowl of fruit in front of me, next to a plate with a similar pastry to Genis'--except for it was filled with grape filling--and two pieces of toast with grape jam spread on top. I don't even remember why I chose grape, but I might as well try it.

I bit into the toast first…and…well…it was very crunchy. It didn't taste like much at first, just like everything else I had tried to eat before, but then a sudden…sweetness filled my mouth. It was the jam and…I liked it. I couldn't pinpoint the flavor, but it definitely tasted familiar.

"So you like grape? I'm glad they had some grape jelly then." Genis stated, his smile widening when I looked over at him.

"Why don't you try the actual fruit next? To see if you like that?"

I nodded my head and placed the toast back on my plate, turning my gaze to the fruit bundled together by a single stem. I picked up one grape and placed it in my mouth, and bit down. Of course that sent juice spraying everywhere inside my mouth, which nearly made me gag.

But it just made Genis giggle.

I finished eating that one grape, and picked up another one. As I yanked it off the stem another followed, rolling over the tabletop towards Genis. He picked it up and handed it back to me.

"Thanks." I murmured as I placed it back in the bowl.

That's when I got an idea. Didn't Genis say he liked strawberries? Wells I had some here so why shouldn't I just give them to him?

A glance down the table changed my mind in an instant.

Raine was watching us like a hawk. I couldn't try anything here, and in all honestly…with her glaring at me like that, I don't think I could take much more of eating in her company.

And of course, about a fifteen minutes later I had proven myself to be correct. She kept…_staring_ at me…like I was still the villain she had to kill. And I wasn't so she had no right to look at me like that.

Well…okay yeah maybe I kinda sorta stole her brother's heart…and she just found out about it…of course she'd be a _little_ mad…

I let out a sigh and pushed away from the table, picking up my bowl of fruit--which was now just stems--and walked through the kitchen door, placing the dish carefully next to the sink.

I heard someone's footsteps behind me and I turned around, half-expecting it to be--

And I was right again.

It was Raine.

"Hmm? You're done eating too?"

Raine just nodded her head, placing her empty dish next to mine. She then turned back to me, "Yes I'm done eating, but now…I want to talk to you."

I shrugged my shoulders, crossing my arms over my chest, "tell me something I don't know."

She scowled, "Tell me something _you_ don't know? How about telling me something _I_ don't know? Like, say, how long has this relationship been going on?"

"It depends."

"And what do you mean by that?"

I shrugged my shoulders again, and would've answered if someone else hadn't walked through the door.

Genis' POV

I watched silently as Mithos stood and walked through the kitchen doors, obviously putting away his dishes. But…but then I saw Raine, only a few seconds--maybe a minute--later walking in after him.

That wasn't good. That wasn't good at _all_.

I quickly stood up, forgetting entirely about the half-eaten bowl of porridge that was still there on the table, and walked towards the door, slowly pushing it open.

The first thing I noticed was the incredible aura of hate surrounding the room. It made me want to choke.

Did Raine hate that we were together _that_ much?

I pushed the door open all the way and walked in, leaning against the door so that no one could come in after me. But of course, both Mithos and Raine had heard me and they both looked over at me--or in Raine's case she turned to face me--with mixed looks on their faces.

Mithos looked like he was ready to say something, but he also seemed a bit sad. Raine, on the other hand, seemed angry, annoyed, and curious at the same time.

"Genis? Why are you here?"

I sighed, "Because it feels like you're about to literally kill each other. Or at least that's the feeling I get? What's wrong?"

Raine shook her head, "I just wanted to ask Mithos something."

Mithos' eyes narrowed and that's when I knew--not that I didn't already know--what this was about.

"You want to know how long we've been…together…"

She stiffened at this and nodded her head, "Yes that would be appreciated. Then I could ask you what I wanted to know before…before _this_ started." She sounded even more irritated than she had a few minutes ago, so I looked over at Mithos. He nodded his head mutely and stepped forward.

"I guess I'll be the one to tell you that, since this was initiated by me in the first place."

Raine turned back to him and nodded her head, "Well?"

"I started to…like him back when I first met him."

I watched as Raine stiffened. That was obviously something she hadn't wanted to hear.

"And I told him that I loved him when I saved him that time you went to make the pact with the Summon Spirit's Luna and Aska."

She tensed even more at this, but Mithos just continued, not even looking at her.

"And then, in Flanoir, I visited him--just to apologize. I was worried that he would hate me. But instead it was the opposite." He smiled lightly at this, and I saw Raine's shoulders relax, "he loves me too. And that's when we started this relationship."

A moment of highly awkward silence passed between us before finally Raine spoke. She turned so that she was facing me, "Now that I know," she stated bitterly, "I want to know how your back is doing. Maxwell said you seemed better, and you _look_ better. But did you use that ointment that Belle gave you?"

I knew she only meant to ask that out of concern, but that led yet again to something awkward and I couldn't help but blush.

"Um…"

"Hmm? What's wrong…?"

"W-well yes I did use the ointment. This morning--before you woke up--"

Raine nodded her head, "I'm glad to see you can take care of yourself on your own…without any help." Then she glared over at Mithos.

That's when I knew that this was going to get twice as awkward. And Mithos didn't look too happy about the…almost accusing…stare Raine was giving him.

"I'll have you know that I DO take care of him, I even helped him put the ointment this morning after the Hotsprings!"**(1)** he looked almost confident after he had said this…only to immediately realize exactly _what_ he had said.

And Raine looked even angrier now.

"You two…went into the Hotsprings…_alone_?" she looked at me and then at Mithos and then back at me. I couldn't help but blush. Of course I knew that it would make the situation even worse—how can you hold back a _blush_?

"What…" Raine's voice was high pitched, "did you…" she was glaring at Mithos again, "do to my little brother?"

Mithos flinched at this but managed to look her in the eye, "I didn't do anything he didn't want me to do."

Raine just stared at him for a few minutes and I'm pretty sure from the look on Mithos' face he wanted to take back what he just said.

"You…Genis…did he…what did he…"

I gulped and backed away slowly from my older sister. Her shoulders were shaking and I could tell that, any minute now, she would burst.

"And what exactly do you _mean_ by that." She asked coldly, not even turning to face me.

Mithos just shrugged, "I mean what I say and I say what I mean."

That just made her even angrier, now her entire body was shaking in anger. I backed up a bit more, planning on running to the door if she got any worse. But I didn't exactly want to leave Mithos there.

'_But how am I going to get over to him and pull him out of the kitchen? There's no way Raine would even let him _touch_ me now.'_

Raine let out a shaky sigh, "I will ask you this again, Mithos. What did you do to my little brother?" she stepped closer to Mithos, who just blinked.

"And are we interrupting something?" April asked from the doorway, making me jump. I whirled around to face her and she smiled, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, but Maxwell is asking to see you again. He said that this is the last time he'll show up without telling Sheena first…but…"

I nodded my head, "O-okay let's go see what he wants."

"But—"

"Yeah we might as well. After all he seems very persistent about this whole mana signature thing." Mithos said, nodding his head in agreement. He walked past Raine and placed a hand on my shoulder as we walked out of the kitchen and into the dining area.

And, just like April had said, there was Maxwell, floating off to the side looking annoyed. He saw us and nodded his head. Everyone turned to face me, and they just stared.

Finally Lloyd spoke up, "What…why were you guy's gone so long?"

"Raine wanted to ask me something." Mithos said with a wave of his hand. He turned to face Maxwell, "Now do whatever it is you came here to do. Because I'm sure we have to leave soon."

Yuan nodded his head in agreement to this, "Yes…the sooner the better."

"At least so we don't have to hear you pace back and forth all night." Kratos added in as he picked at his omelet, picking out bits of the tomato we had used. It still amused me how he hated tomatos even though he couldn't really taste them.** (2)** Or at least I assumed he couldn't, since he was wearing a Cruxis Crystal.

Maxwell merely nodded his head and raised his staff. I moved forward and stood right beneath Maxwell's staff as I had done before. This time, though, when he chanted and the light engulfed my vision it didn't hurt. Okay, yeah, it stung a little—or at least the wound on my back did—but it didn't hurt as much.

What felt like only a few seconds later and I was on my knees on the ground, an odd…circle of light…or rather _half_ of a circle of light, with a pattern similar to a magic circle, appeared beneath me. I watched in shock as it turned from bright white to a pale green, and then…and then…it turned black before completely disappearing.

I looked up at Maxwell, who looked curiously at me for a few seconds before looking away, "I see…"

"You see _what_?" Mithos asked from next to me. He sounded worried and I wondered why.

"I see now, why he must have been chosen. And," he turned back to look at me, "I can see why you two," He pointed his staff at Mithos and then at me, "Are so close."

And then, just like that, he disappeared.

I looked down at my hands then, noticing that they were shaking, and then I looked at Mithos, "Um…"

He looked down at me and then held out his hand, "Here," he pulled me up gently, "Are you okay? It didn't hurt at all, did it?"

I shook my head, "It didn't hurt at all."

But when I looked into his turquoise eyes I could tell he was worried.

_'Worried about what…?'_

---------------------------------------------

**(1)**-this sentence was brought to you by an idea that LittleLinor was talking about. I had trouble wording this whole argument-conversation and I wanted to bring in the Hotsprings scene between Mithos and Genis, and this was a good way to do it. So thanks again for the idea.

**(2)**-Okay yeah, we all know Kratos _hates_ Tomato's, and that he's not very good at cooking anything with tomato's in them (neither is Lloyd but that's not the point) but I'm curious, how exactly did everyone come to think he hates tomato's? Or is it just with the whole cooking thing that everyone found out? Why am I asking? Because it's been bugging me for a while now…

**April: **-blinks and looks shocked- you actually kept to your chapter plan…

**Me: **-nods head- I try, I try. Okay yes, I did make a chapter plan, and—including the epilog—TU will be 61 chapters long unless some fighting scenes that are coming up take too long to do. But I will _try_ and stick to the chapter plan this time.

**April: **If you say so…and don't you have to tell them something?

**Me: **Oh yeah, right, right. I have exams coming up not next week (which is the study week) but the week after. So I might not be able to write as much. But guess what? After that it's SUMMER BREAK! I get out on the 25th! Yay!

**April: **-nods head- it's very exciting isn't it? And it will almost be a year since you updated TU! And that's something celebrate, especially since now you have over 10,000 hits!

**Me: **-nods head- I feel like drawing something for TU now. But I won't have enough time to since my dad is going to be watching/helping me study. But _anyway_ R&R! Reviews make me update faster!


	56. Back to Iselia

**Me: **And here's TU56! And I've got some good news! I'm officially on SUMMER BREAK! -dances-

**Feral: **Yes TU56...and are you really that excited over summer break? By the time you realize it it'll be August and then you'll have to go back to school on, what, the 15th?

**Me: **-mumble- but I'm not gonna do that this time!

**Feral: **_Right_...

**Me: **Are you okay?

**Feral: **I won't be until you get around to saving me.

**Me: **Ah, don't worry you'll be saved...really, you will be I promise.

**To Understand: Part Fifty-six**

**Back to Iselia**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews: **

**Moonshine's Guide: **Yes Raine is scary. I didn't mean to make her so scary…but I guess you could say that being hit with all of this at once really did her in. And yeah, smart people may be able to take over the world with their smarts…and yet they never realize (or most never realize) when someone likes them. I learned that from experience too. And yeah the tomato thing, I'm thinking it is just because he doesn't cook things with tomato's in them, or he does really bad at it and never adds tomato's in. Well, anyway, here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Dawnstarshine: **Hmm so it still has to do with what they cook. Okay, it's good to see that I was along the right track to begin with so now it won't bug me that much…and I'm glad to get your review, since I am telling the truth at the end of the chapters—I DO tend to work on chapter's faster if I get more reviews for them. It's just my computer that hinders the actual uploading of the chapter. Well, here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Viaroura Fox: **Don't worry, you'll figure out what Mithos is worried about (hopefully) in this chapter. As for Raine making you angry, I'm pretty sure anyone would overreact to certain things…especially when everything is thrown on them at once. Once she cools down she'll get better. I think she just swallowed a little more food than she could actually chew (if you get what I mean). And here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**LittleLinor: **I'm glad the chapter had you laughing a second time around and yeah the collar idea really is being used a lot more than at least _I_ thought it would. And yes I could clearly imagine Sheena saying 'not them too', so, why not put it in? I'm also glad you liked the part I added in. Mithos does seem to be the kind of person where interpreting comes into play when he speaks. I guess it just depends on the way people want to take what he says. So then does that mean it's Raine's fault for taking it the way she did? Or was it Mithos' fault for making what he said sound so suggestive? Ah, I'm confusing myself, oh well, here's the next chapter—enjoy!**  
**

**DraNKa: **Well I have to admit, if I was going by originally what I had planned, no one would've found out about Genis' and Mithos' relationship until _Martel_ brought it up in the end. But now I'm glad I put it in here, since everyone liked it so much. And yeah Mithos probably would get slapped in the face by Raine…when they get the chance, maybe.

**Alaia Skyhawk: **Yeah Raine probably would want to beat Mithos to a pulp…unfortunately I don't think she'll really get a chance to do that…maybe. And yes the half-mana-circle that's black. If you think on it, what does the color black usually stand for? And why would Genis be missing half of his mana-circle, whereas everyone has a whole one? Well, you'll find out a bit later on (when he has to make the pact with the Summon Spirit of Death) but you _will_ find out. As for the skit scene, I've never seen it. Which one is it? And, of course, here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Lyurii: **Yes Raine had to find out sooner or later, thankfully it was sooner rather than later. And you're the only one who mentioned the porridge thing…hah…I wonder where my mind was when I was writing that? In fact I have no idea where my mind is when I write some of these scenes…

**Cheea5: **Yeah Kratos is a really good cook, except for with anything with Tomato's in it. So I guess I was right on the mark with suggesting it had something to do with their cooking abilities. But…replacing a tomato with a _lemon_? That's a bit odd…-cough- and you asked me to continue, so here's the next chapter of TU! Enjoy!

**  
Feral: **-groans- I'm getting tired of waiting to be saved…it's hard trying to keep the older Feral from taking over y'know.

**Me: **Ah-ha-ha…it must be. -bows head- I'm sorry. But it won't be that much longer, okay?

**Feral: **-sigh- okay…well…of course you already know that Harmony283 doesn't own ToS. If she did _this fanfic_ would've happened…or at least the Genis/Mithos relationship implied in this would've happened. So no, she doesn't own it. And you already know what she _does_ own…so I'm not going to repeat it.

**Authors Note: **You really _aren't_ feeling well. Ah, well, I'm right about it not being much longer until your saved so please just hang on. But now…it's onto the little summary of the chapter. Last chapter Genis is wondering what's so special about his Mana signature and Mithos looks worried. Well in this chapter it shows them flying over Sylvarant and landing in Iselia. But what would they be doing in Iselia? And what happens when they go off to train? And finally, you get a chance to see things through the eyes of Jiniasu!

**Feral: **Unexpected, yes, but you were planning on putting him in there…at least somewhere before the big fight.

**Me: **-nod- yup

-------------------------------------

Lloyd's POV

I couldn't help but feel lighthearted as we flew through the hair on our Rhieards over familiar territory. I knew Iselia would be in our sights before the sunset--ironically enough the sun still _did_ set and rise even though the sky was purple. But I was glad that it did.

I glanced back at Zelos who grinned at me, and then I turned my gaze to the other's. Colette kept glancing at me, I knew she was because I kept feeling Zelos tighten his grip on me, but when she noticed me she looked away.

Sheena, in turn, was staring at Zelos, but she looked away when she saw I noticed as well. Presea, well, she looked out of it and the one thing I knew was that she needed rest. It was a good thing April brought down her fever. Though Regal still looked worried, his eyes kept drifting over to where she was, and of course they were filled with worry. He really did worry too much for his own good.

Yuan and Kratos were, like last time, flying ahead of us. They seemed to be talking about something, but I couldn't hear what. Raine and April seemed to be talking about something too. But Raine kept looking back at Genis and Mithos, who were trailing slightly behind in our group.

I suppose Mithos wanted to stay as far away from Raine as possible. And I wouldn't blame him. Even if he was once the creator of the two worlds—or the leader of Cruxis—or basically our biggest enemy, he's dating Genis now and….and…that changes things.

A smile tugged at my lips as I see my hometown come into view. I'm glad that I'll be home for a while, but it'll only be for a while. Then we'll have to deal with this…Summon Spirit of Death. Feral. Even the name made her sound dangerous.

But what did she have to do with Genis? Maxwell didn't look too happy when he did that weird mana-signature reading thing. But then again, neither did Raine, Kratos, Yuan, or Mithos.

After a few more minutes--twenty at the most--we landed on the outskirts of Iselia. I turn to look at everyone and they smile back at me, looking tired.

"Well? What should we do first? Go to Dirk's or visit the town?" I ask simply.

"I say go to Dirk's first…and then after that," April turned to look at Genis with a worried look on her face, "After that you--we--might have to train. Um, I-I can't say that I'm _not_ worried about this…Summon Spirit of Death."

Raine nodded her head in agreement, "We know nothing about her. Except for that Genis has something to do with it. And we may run into those three again."

"Mitosu." Mithos muttered.

"Jiniasu…and Seiji." Genis said just as softly.

"And that other weird, uh, guy I think. Zerasu was it? You know, the guy that got rid of these," Zelos held up his hands, which were still un-gloved. They had bandages around them, but there wasn't a trace of the tattoo's that had been there since he had tried to save me from one of Mitosu's attacks.

I nodded my head and we quickly made our way through Iselia Forest towards my childhood home. Once there Noishe, as always, ran into his pin. Dirk--who had apparently seen us from one of the windows--came hurrying out with a smile on his face.

"My, what brings you here?" he asked, his voice curious.

I smiled, "Hey dad. Look we need you to, um, we need you to make something for us."

Dirk raised an eyebrow, "And what might that be?"

"it's, uh," I turned to face Genis and Mithos. Those two knew more about it than I did.

"it's called a Mana Crest." Genis stated, "It's made from Aqua Ore--which we have, in the form of a necklace. And…what Colette's Rune Crest was made from."

"I see. So you have everything?" Dirk shook his head from side to side, "But I don't know if I can help."

"And yet again," Kratos stepped forward, "I may be able to help. At least with the basics."

Dirk nodded his head, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to at least try. So," he nodded his head, "I can give you that much. I'll try. But it may take a while."

I grinned, "Don't worry, we were planning on training anyway. We need to get a whole lot stronger for what's about to happen."

For a second Dirk looked worried, but then he mutely nodded his head and smiled, "I see. Well then get to training."

And with that he, Kratos, and to my surprise Yuan, went inside.

I turned back to face everyone yet again, "Why don't we train in groups of two?" I asked, "I mean, it'll be easier that way."

"But who will be in a group?" Colette asked from next to Sheena, "Or can we choose?"

"I'll be with Lloyd." Zelos said, raising his hand with a serious look on his face. I nodded my head in approval.

"I'll be with Genis." Mithos said, stepping a bit closer to Genis with a concerned look on his face.

"I'll be with Raine." April said.

"I'll be with Colette." Sheena smiled down at her.

"And I'll be with Presea. I'll make sure you don't work too hard, since you still seem to be under the weather." Regal murmured, and Presea nodded her head.

"Okay then, that just leaves Kratos and Yuan in a group, and I don't think they'll mind." A moment of silence passed between us as we all just, well, stared at each other. Or rather, we stared at the groups we had chosen.

They all made sense really, when you actually thought about it.

I mean, with my group, Zelos could use magic as well as swords, and that would be good for me because I needed to learn more about blocking magic.

With Genis and Mithos, well, Mithos could, I'm assuming, use both a sword and magic. He could help Genis out with how to use a weapon other than a Kendama.

With April and Raine, I didn't know what other attacks April knew, but they would definitely work well together.

With Colette and Sheena, it was the same. Though Colette could use a few angel attacks, and Sheena probably did need to learn how to dodge them. And she could help Colette dodge any attacks from the Summon Spirit's she controlled.

With Regal and Presea, well, their attacks were similar so that made sense as well. The same goes for Kratos and Yuan.

"Well I guess we should get to training." I finally say, and everyone nods. We make our way into the Iselia forest and then we split up. I watch as everyone leaves before turning to Zelos, "So, what should we start with first?"

Zelos smirked, "How about dodging magic?"

--------------------------------

Raine's POV (about an hour later)

I groan softly as I collapse onto the hard ground beneath me. I let out a soft sigh, watching as April drew water from the nearby stream. She noticed me staring and smiled.

"Here, the water should help you." She filled a small cup with water and handed it to me. I drank it gratefully and smiled back at her, nodding my head in thanks.

I waited a few minutes before I spoke again, "You know…this training was probably one of Lloyd's brighter ideas."

April nodded her head at this, "Yeah, I guess it was. I mean, I'm sure this Summon Spirit is…a lot stronger…than the rest."

My eyes narrowed, "But you don't sound confident."

"I--"

I get up and walk over to where she was sitting, "You don't sound confident at all. And," I touch her cheek, making her turn to face me, "I want to ask you a few things."

"About Genis and Mithos? Because I knew?"

I nod my head and she smiles sweetly, "I knew because I guessed. It was back, ah, back when Genis was staying in Heimdall to heal while you and the others went to meet with the Summon Spirit Origin."

"And you didn't tell me this sooner because?"

"I promised Mithos I wouldn't."

I let out a sigh, "Well there's really nothing I can do about it now. But I am starting to worry about them. Genis…still seemed a bit shaken up from when Maxwell read his mana signature."

April nodded her head, "Yes, he did seem a little out of it. I think…I think we should go see how they're doing. I mean, I think you've had enough training that your body can take…at one time."

I nodded my head, "I guess you're right." I looked past the river towards where the entrance of the woods was, "I think they went that way--to the Iselia Human Ranch."

With that said we start walking in that direction. Though for me it was much harder, I think I must have pushed myself a little too hard. But April…didn't look worn out at all. In fact she looked rejuvinated.

_'Of course, not only is she a better healer than me--which must have taken practice since she doesn't have an exsphere--but she's also an elf. I should have expected that she wouldn't get tired as easily. And I'm wounded.'_ I let out a quiet sigh and walk the rest of the way in silence.

Sure enough I was right when I had predicted where Genis and Mithos had been practicing. I smiled to myself as Mithos dashed towards Genis with a fake sword in his hand, and Genis dodged.

But to my surprise Genis fell forward soon after that, breathing hard. And Mithos stopped.

"Okay, we're stopping for a rest now, Genis."

"But--"

"No buts." Mithos' voice was stern, "You're still hurt." He walked over to Genis backpack and shuffled through it, pulling out two Apple Gels and an Orange Gel.

He handed both Apple Gels to Genis and he gratefully took them. After he had fully digested both Mithos handed him the Orange gel, but he refused, "I don't need it. My mana supply is _fine_."

Mithos smirked, "I suppose it is."

I watched as they sat down by the gate--dangerously close to where April and I were standing. Soon they began to talk. Well, Genis began to talk.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Genis asked, looking down at his lap.

"I don't know. You know her better than I do. I mean," Mithos' eyes widened, "You knew the entire time didn't you? About who she was?"

I watched my brother shake his head, "No I didn't know. I didn't know until Maxwell pointed it out. But…I did know…that Kloitz had something to do with it. I just didn't know he was my _father_."

Mithos placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry too much about that. Since it's not that important now. What's important is that we have to get her back. Mitosu said they wanted her for something. And now they have the mirror piece she's sealed away in."

That's when it hit me, they were talking about Feral! So did Genis…know something about why he was chosen already? And what about our father? I looked over at April, she met my gaze briefly, long enough for me to know she knew something about Feral as well, before looking away.

"What will you do then?"

I turned my attention back to Mithos, he had just asked a question that I hadn't heard the beginning of.

"I-I don't know." Genis still looked sad, "If Pronyma tries to awaken the 'other' Feral again then everyone else won't know what's going on. They'll try to help me."

Mithos shook his head, "Then I'll make sure they don't. And I'm sure I can ask for April's and Kratos' help as well. Though that'd…just be for safety measures on their part really." He chuckled, "I'm confident that you can suppress her like you did last time."

Genis nodded his head, but he didn't look too confident about it, "I-If you say so. I just hope I don't hurt anyone by accident."

"The one you should worry about hurting is yourself, and our enemies."

Genis flinched but nodded his head once more, "Yeah you're right."

"And we're here to help you. I'm sure everyone will understand once we get to Venheim." Mithos pulled Genis into a tight hug then, "I…" he dropped his voice to a whisper and I didn't hear the rest of what he said, but when he let Genis go I could see the blush on my brother's cheeks. Mithos…really did love him, didn't he? I suddenly felt bad for getting mad at Mithos back at the hotsprings.

Not that he didn't deserve it but--

"Raine."

I jumped as April tapped my shoulder, I turned to her and she smiled, pointing towards them, "let's go say hi!"

I nodded my head and called out, "Genis?"

Genis snapped to attention, and I walked through the gate followed by April. I smiled in relief when I saw him, which really I was relieved so it wasn't like I was acting, "there you are!"

"Sis! Err, were you looking for me?" He looked embarrassed and I laughed. He jumped up and staggered over to me, and I caught him. He smiled up at me, "are you done training?"

April walked forward and nodded her head, "We are for a while. Raine needed a break and she was worried about you." She smiled over at Mithos and beckoned for him to come over, "We saw you go this way so we assumed this was where you were training."

Mithos nodded his head, "Well yeah, it is. We're taking a break now too. I think I need to put more of that ointment on your back, Genis. Or at least someone needs to check the bandages to make sure your wound isn't bleeding."

Genis made a pouting face and shook his head, "My back is _fine_. And that…ointment stuff is _cold_."

Mithos shrugged, "Well that may be true but it definitely is helping. I actually thought that your wound would open again from all the training we've been doing. And since you were so persistent about it…we didn't stop when I thought we probably should have."

Genis scowled, "Yeah well I wasn't tired when you offered to stop, and I haven't trained in a while so I'm probably behind everyone else."

"For a good reason, though, you needed to heal." I pointed out, and Genis sighed.

"Raine's right, it was for a good reason." April stated, nodding her head in agreement.

"And your Magic is much stronger than the others, so you don't have to worry about that." Mithos pointed out, "It's just your physical capabilities, like dodging and attacking with your weapon effectively when you don't have that much mana for magic left." He looked at me and smiled slightly, "that's what I've been working with him on."

I nod my head, "I see. That's…always useful. I have a staff and I know how to use it well--and April has been helping me, ah, get my aim better." I smiled as April blushed, "She's very good at dodging, you see."

"I-I'm not that good. But your aim was off, but then again you're still healing too. I'm glad Pronyma didn't use all her energy on that attack like I thought she would."

I nodded my head, "I guess I was lucky." Then my stomach growled, "And now I'm hungry."

Both Genis and April laughed, "Do you want me to make you guys a snack?" Genis asked sweetly.

"And do you need help?" April asked him, and he nodded his head.

They went over to Genis bag and, to my surprise, Genis pulled out some cooking equipment.

"Genis how much stuff do you _have_ in there?" I asked absentmindedly, not expecting him to answer.

But he did.

"A…well, I have a lot. Because you never know when we'll get separated. I hope you guys don't mind sandwiches since that's the only thing I really have to make. And they're easy to make so…"

Mithos smiled, "That's fine."

Genis smiled back and nodded his head, "Okay then, tell me what you want on your sandwich!

--------------------

Jiniasu's POV

I let out a soft groan and sat up. I was on a _very_ comfortable bed again. And…I wasn't wearing a shirt. Of course I found my shirt hanging on a chair nearby, and when I moved I understood why I didn't have a shirt on.

I had gotten wounded somehow, and someone had healed me. Though the wrapped the bandages a little too tight in my opinion, but I was glad to have them there. And I could already guess who had done this.

"So you're awake."

I nearly jumped as the cool metallic voice floated across the room from the curtains. It was cloudy, and it was getting late so not a lot of light shown through into the room. Even the small lamps placed on each corner of the two desks in the room had been turned off.

I realized I hadn't spoken, and winced when I heard the rustling of fabric against the stone floor. Extra weight was added to the bed and when I opened my eyes I was staring into a pair of green eyes.

Her green eyes.

"Mistress Neo?" I ask, my voice quiet. She smiles.

"You _are_ awake. Your wounds?" she touches the bandages wrapped around my chest and sighs in relief. Then she reaches up and touches the bandages covering my wounded eye. She scowls, "Your eye…"

"It's fine, miss." I whisper again, and I watch as she nods her head. She stands shortly after and walks over to the window and stares out at the city below. She turns to me and beckons me just by staring at me.

I slowly rise out of the bed, not even wincing as the bandages press tighter against me, opposing the movement, and I grab my shirt. I slip it on and walk quietly over to her. She moves to the side so I can see out the window as well.

The city below looks so peaceful. Even though it's late there are still people walking on the streets below, and birds are still flying in the sky.

"Do you know what's wrong?" Neo suddenly asks, making me turn to her. Her eyes are serious, "Do you have any idea what's wrong with that picture?"

I smirk, "It's too quiet."

She nods her head, "Quiet means peaceful, and nothing comes from being peaceful. I," she turns to look back out the window, "I heard that Zerasu is awake."

I flinch, "Yes…he is."

"I see. He must be proud to have his only weapon against us awake now."

I mutely nod my head, not trusting myself to speak. If she didn't know it was Mitosu's fault then I wouldn't tell her. Mitosu didn't deserve to be hurt by her. Especially since it wasn't _technically_ his fault. It was the fault of that redheaded idiot.

"We need Feral now more than ever, do you understand?"

I nod my head again.

Neo let out a sigh, "But something tells me it's not going to go over well." She reaches out and touches the glass with her fingertips, "How do you think his children will take having Zerasu awake?"

I shake my head, "He doesn't even have a proper heir to the throne yet. He…can't tell them about him until then."

Neo nods her head, "Yes. Of course he can't force the heir to come forth. After all Alexander **(1)** will choose himself who to bestow his powers upon. No one can choose for him. But hopefully," I see the smirk crawl across her lips, "it will be in our favor."

I flinch again, "Yes but who do you…think it will be?" I didn't expect her to answer, but she did.

"Who do I believe it will be?" She turns to look at me again, "Why it most likely will be his oldest son, Aeir, but then it could also be either of his two daughters, Amora or…" she was cut off at the sound knock at the door. She turned towards it and scowled, "Who is it?"

"It's me, your majesty." A guard whispered.

"Yes?"

"They are ready to leave. And…there's another matter to be attended to."

Neo smirked, "Ah, I see. Okay then," she turned to face me, "Jiniasu, find Mitosu and let him fill you in on what you're about to do."

I nod my head and disappear. I find Mitosu soon enough and nearly sigh in relief. At least he didn't leave before we did again. I'm slightly surprised when I don't see Pronyma. At my questioning look he scowls, "She's still resting. She'll come a little later."

I nod my head and smirk, "Oh really? What's our job now?"

I watch as the raven shakes his head, "This is apparently our last chance to get Feral. If we fail then she wants us to come back and," he shrugs, "wait for something to happen."

I nod my head, "Do you think someone will die?"

I see him flinch and my smirk widens as he answers, "Hopefully not, but you never know."

We wait in silence for the third member--for Seiji--to show up. And sure enough she does. She runs up the stairs to where we were, waiting in front of the castle, and smiles, "Sorry I'm late." She looks over at me and I see relief in her eyes. It makes my heart sting but, as always, I ignore it. She speaks again, "So what do we do?"

Mitosu rolls his eyes, "Why am I always the one who has to explain things?" he shakes his head at me when I open my mouth to respond, "Don't answer that. We're going back to Venheim. This is our last time to try and capture Feral."

"If we fail?" Seiji asks, looking nervous.

I shrug, "We come back."

Seiji nodded her head, attempting a fierce smile, which she actually does accomplish. But both Mitosu and I know it's a fake. As she speaks, though, she sounds confident, "Then let's hurry up and leave."

With that we teleport away to Purity Lake.

-------------------------------------------------

**(1)**--remember the gods and goddesses of Reti'thera are referred to by the names they had as humans/when they were mortal. Alexander is the God of Fire, and in one Royal family whoever displays the ability to control the fire element is deemed the next heir.

**Me: **And that's the end of TU56. I bet ya didn't think I would ever add on Jiniasu's POV. And honestly I completely changed what I was going to show for his part. Oh well, it turned out good so I'm not complainin'.

**Feral: **Yes, and since you're on summer break that means faster updates right?

**Me: **Right! And I'm almost certain that I'll update faster now. I mean, I'm already working on the next chapter now...so yeah, R&R and I'll hopefully finish the next chapter soon!


	57. Confronting One's Enemies

**Me: **And here's TU 57! There're only a few chapters left until the end now…

**April: **-nods head- and then you'll have to start getting ideas together for TU:RooS! Aren't you excited? I mean, you've been working on that _forever_.

**Me: **Ah-ha-ha…yeah I have haven't I? Oh, and since last chapter TU is officially over 500 pages long! I can't believe it!

**April: **-claps hands- that's amazing!

**To Understand: Part Fifty-seven**

**Confronting Ones Enemies **

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews: **

**Cheea5**: Ah snow days…we've never really had a snow day here. Really bad weather (like Tornados or Hurricanes) are what get us out of school where I live. Thankfully we haven't had any. But we go back to school in August. –shrugs- oh well, anyway here's the next chapter enjoy!

**Alaia Skyhawk: **Yes Alexander is the God of Fire. I actually have a picture up of all the gods/goddess in Reti'thera on my dA account. It's not colored though. As for the name Neo left off, I'm sure you'll figure out who it is…eventually. I left it out for a reason, a reason I didn't think I needed to leave it out for. But meh, I'll just wait and see. And the skit scene is by to Toize valley mines? Hmm, I'll check there when I get to it in the game, thanks for telling me though. Now then, here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**LittleLinor: **Yes Raine is beginning to tolerate Mithos. Well, I mean, she kinda has to…right? And it doesn't do anyone any good to hate someone right before a major fight anyway. As for why I didn't let you beta this, it's because of Jiniasu's POV. I _completely_ changed what I wanted him to say and…I didn't wanna spoil it. –nods head- well then here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**Moonshine's Guide: **Hnn, if I were in their position I would've run away too…but…I think it's good that they stayed put to actually _listen_ to Raine. And April was there, so Raine would've had someone to calm her down if she got angry. As for the Mana Crest—you get to find out more about it in this chapter, so enjoy!

**Viaroura Fox: **Well technically it _should_ be eye but…it didn't sound right. And truthfully Jiniasu still has both of his eyes, ones just damaged severely and won't be in use for a long while. And yes Mitosu, Jiniasu, and Seiji have one more chance at getting Feral back by actually going to Venheim. There are other ways to get her…but you'll figure out more about those later. Now here's the next chapter, enjoy!

**Lyurii: **Eh, yeah poor Dirk. I wanted him to have a bit more dialog in this (at least for the last chapter) but I didn't really know what to make him say, and I'm sure he likes at least being useful. And by cooking equipment I meant like…err…knives and forks and some cooking _items_ (like bread) so it wasn't that heavy. But I suppose it'd still be a bit dangerous for him—though Mithos _did_ carry it for the majority of the time. And yes you actually got to see things the way Jiniasu sees them, I think it's a nice change of pace from seeing things through Mitosu's POV.

**April: **So this is the chapter where everyone goes back to Venheim right?

**Me: **Yeah, or at least that's what I have planned. I really wanted to add more to the training scenes in the last chapter, but I don't really wanna make 'em run over into this chapter so…yeah.

**April: **I understand. But…there's going to be a major fight soon, isn't there?

**Me: **If things go the way I planned then it'll be in the next chapter.

**April: **I see. Well then, Harmony283 doesn't own Tales of Symphonia. If she did why is she writing fanfiction on it?

**Authors Note: **Hah, I wouldn't know. Well then, as I said this is the chapter where everyone goes back to Venheim. What will happen when they run into Mitosu? Will everyone be okay? And where's Pronyma?

**April: **Where _is_ Pronyma?

**Me: **You'll see...

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April's POV

"And that's how it works." I smiled as Genis finished his explanation of the Mana Crest. He was holding it in his hand, showing it to us with a small smile on his face. I could tell he was happy, and Mithos, who was standing right next to him, looked really happy as well.

"So all we have to do is put that on Martel's original body?" Lloyd asked, sounding confused, "But…does that mean we have to make a pact with that Summon Spirit of Death, Feral?"

I saw the pained look on Genis face for one instant, and then it was gone replaced by the same cheerful smile he had been wearing, "Yup! I'm sure we can do it if we all pull together."

"But…" Colette murmured, "Maxwell didn't make it sound easy. I mean, um, The Summon Spirit of Death…Sheena you haven't heard anything about a Summon Spirit of Death before this have you?"

Sheena shrugged, "Nope. I always assumed there was one, but when I asked Grandpa he refused to tell me and he said that one didn't exist. But apparently there is one now. I'm not sure how we're going to beat it. But if it's just like the rest of the Summon Spirits then I'm ready and willing to make a pact with it."

I looked back over at Genis, who now looked nervous, "Are you sure you _can_ make a pact with it, Sheena? I mean, shouldn't we ask Maxwell if that's even possible?"

Sheena glared at Zelos as he said that, but the glare didn't last long. She sighed and nodded her head, "Wow you're actually using your head for once. But, yeah I suppose I could call him." She slipped on the ring that Maxwell had given her as a sign of the pact, and called out his name.

A split second later the Summon Spirit of Birth appeared in front of us yet again. At least this time he had actually been called and didn't just appear.

He looked at us and then began to laugh, "Ah now what do you want?" he continued laughing until Sheena sent him a glare and he shut up.

"How do we make a Pact with the Summon Spirit of Death?"

We expected him to give an answer, like perhaps 'Just how you did with the others' or maybe, 'You can't. It's too dangerous'. But instead he laughed. He laughed as if it was the funniest thing to ask in the world.

"Wh-what's so funny?" Sheena practically shouted at him. And I couldn't blame her, she was probably embarrassed.

"Oh nothing dear," Maxwell stated, suddenly stopping his laughing altogether, he turned to look at Mithos and Genis, "you," he pointed his staff at Genis, "you've seen her--Feral--haven't you? You must have."

Genis visibly flinched, "So what if I have? What's that got to do with--"

"It has everything to do with the pact making. If you saw--"

Genis sighed, "I saw the younger."

Maxwell froze and then sighed as well, though it was a sigh of relief, "I see…hnn, well then," he smiled and began laughing, "Good luck!"

With that he disappeared and Genis sighed, "He's weird…" he shifted as everyone turned to him, and yet again I felt bad.

"Why's everyone staring at me?" he mumbled, looking at his feet, "Is it that unusual for me to see Feral when…when…they said I was, oh, nevermind. I'm going outside." He dashed out of the room and Mithos followed shortly after, a concerned look on his face.

A few minutes of silence passed between us before Raine spoke, "I don't think we should have reacted in that way."

"You're telling us that now Professor?" Presea asked, sounding tired, "Because it seems you should have said that before."

Raine shook her head, "Well I didn't know he had seen Feral. April, did you know?"

I nodded my head, "If what Maxwell said was true, then there must be a younger and an older Feral. I think one time Pronyma tried to make the older Feral take over. I-I think that the older Feral is the worse of the two, which is probably why Maxwell looked so relieved."

Raine looked shocked, "When was this?"

"Um…back in Heimdall." I look away, I had promised her then that I would watch Genis while she was gone with everyone to make the pact with Origin…but I hadn't done a very good job of it.

"Back…in Heimdall. So Mithos knows more about this than I do?"

I didn't exactly know where she got that from all of this, but, "I think, maybe. You…you overheard the conversation they had just like I did. They both know something about Feral. And about what's going on in general. They definitely know more about what's going on than any of us do now." I exhaled loudly, "I'll go get them. Then we can leave."

I left everyone standing there, looking at each other like they had done something wrong. I hadn't meant for them to think that, but…well, if they did then they did. Once I had stepped outside, I noticed one thing--Genis and Mithos had obviously gone somewhere…because they were no where in sight.

I walked a bit farther, until I reached the edge of the woods. I still didn't see them. Raine would worry if I didn't find them soon.

_'Maybe they're at the Human Ranch?' _I thought as I made my way through the forest, holding my staff up protectively just in case any monsters decided to attack me. But I was lucky because, well, one no monsters attacked me, and two the monsters in this area were incredibly weak so even if one had attacked me I would've been fine. I reached the entrance of the Human ranch and saw, sitting off to the side on the cliff, Genis hugging his knees. Mithos was sitting next to him, holding a flute-like instrument in his hand. He put it up to his lips and began to play.

I closed my eyes as I listened to the sweet melody. I was surprised to see that Mithos could play so well, but…but for some reason it made sense. I opened my eyes when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around…but I didn't see anyone there. I shivered lightly as a cool breeze swept by and turned back to watch the two boy's.

Mithos finished playing the melody shortly after, and smiled at Genis. He turned to face me and nodded his head before touching Genis' shoulder lightly and helping him down the cliff.

"It's time to leave isn't it?"

I nod my head, "Yes…it is. Everyone is waiting for you two."

Genis looked down at his feet, "Will they ask me anything else about Feral? Um, I mean, they looked really…_surprised_ that I had seen her…and…" He trailed off looking up at me hopefully.

I shook my head, "I don't know if they'll ask or not. But I know for a fact Raine will most likely tell them not to." I smiled, "Does that make you feel better?"

Genis shrugged, "I don't care if they think about it, it's better than them thinking it out loud. It…it just…feels weird having them stare at me like I'm suddenly so important."

I hadn't expected to hear that, but it looked like Mithos had from the expression on his face.

"Genis you _are_ important. Okay?" he squeezed Genis' shoulders and looked over at me, "We'll be there in a minute."

I nodded my head and turned to leave.

-------------------------

Mithos' POV

I wait until April is out of sight before turning Genis around to face me, "Genis?"

He looks up at me, "huh?"

"You _are _important." I lean down and kiss him, not as gently as I probably should have, on the lips. When I pull away he's panting lightly, "do you understand?" I whisper noticing that I was breathing a bit harder than normal too.

"Y-yeah I-I got it…"

I smile, well, more like smirk, and nod my head, "Okay then; let's go catch up to April."

Genis nodded his head and we headed off after the green haired, green eyed elf. But I couldn't shake this feeling…that someone familiar had been here. Someone I knew…

Then I heard Genis gasp.

"Genis?" I asked, turning to face him. He just shook his head, though there was a smile on his face. I shook my head, "What is it?"

"Nothing...just…that song you played, when did you learn it?" he looked up at me with pleading eyes and, well, when he looks like that…how can I say I don't want to tell him?

"Ah, it's…I learned it the day after…the day after we were exiled from Heimdall." I looked up at the canopy of trees overhead, "I was really upset so Martel decided to teach me that song." I looked back at Genis then, "it looks like it works for those who aren't exactly feeling happy at the moment."

Genis tried to smile, but it came out crooked, "I guess that I'm that person at the moment?"

I nodded my head, "Well I wanted to make you feel better."

Genis then hugged me. Of course we were still walking so we both nearly lost our balance. Of course when we regained our balance we ended up having to run to catch up to April. Thankfully she was waiting for us not too far off.

_'She's a lot like her sister in that sense. She always knows when to wait.' _I shook my head, _'But she's nothing like her sister…nothing like Pronyma.' _

When we reached the edge of the forest we saw Lloyd and the others waiting by the Rhieards. Raine smiled and ran towards us. She hugged Genis tightly and asked if he was okay. When he nodded his head, and tried to pull away from her, she let go.

"Okay, if you say so…but you still must be tired from training."

Genis rolled his eyes, "But _Raine_ I feel much better now. And we waited here a _whole day_. I really think we need to get going." He looked up at the purple sky, "Besides who knows what…they might be doing in Venheim." his eyes narrowed, "I don't like surprises."

He sounded like he knew something. Then again, he did know more about what was going on than even _I_ did. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to ask him exactly how much he knew because of the fact he had fallen asleep right after we had dinner.

"I don't either." Lloyd said, stretching, "So let's go."

We each boarded our designated Rhieards--basically we used the same Rhieards we had yesterday. I was still riding with Genis, April was still riding with Raine, and Zelos, who apparently still couldn't use his hands very well, was riding with Lloyd.

A little faster than I would've liked, and we stood at the entrance to the destroyed Tower of Salvation in Tethe'alla. The last time we had been here was when we came to get Genis back…and of course I succeeded in doing that. But Genis was still hurt. And…and now we were going back for possibly--more like hopefully--our final battle. This time we had to get Feral back, and we had to revive Martel.

_'I just hope it works.'_ I thought to myself as we walked up the stairs towards the portal. I glanced at Genis and saw him gulp. He seemed a bit paler than normal, but I couldn't blame him. If I were in his position--wounded and being the one my enemy was after--I would be scared too. I moved closer to the younger boy and grabbed onto his hand, lacing my fingers through his. He jumped slightly but smiled none the less.

"I'll make sure they don't take you." I whisper in his ear and he nods his head. When I turn my attention back to walking I realize we're already on the portal. And Lloyd has already said whatever it was that he needed to say in order for us to go to Derris Kharlan.

And, just like all those other times, it only took a split second to get there. Soon we were standing on a familiar purple rock pathway. We stepped off of the warp ring and hurried along the pathways, trying hard to avoid the monsters that still lurked in the area. There were even a few stray angels floating about, obviously they didn't know what they should be doing or what was going on.

We quickened our pace as the portal into Welgaia came into view. And, ironically enough, when we passed through Welgaia no angels stopped us…but then again, there were hardly any there to begin with. It was saddening to see something I worked so hard on be taken apart so easily--I had worked hard to recruit those Angels--and now they were gone. Not that I really minded in the end. They were just floating around anyway. That couldn't have been fun for them.

Not that they really knew what was going on after they became soulless beings. And now I felt bad for turning them into Angels in the first place…

-------------------

Genis POV

I exhaled sharply as we made our way towards the Portal to Venheim. Only a few more steps and a faster than sound portal ride and we would be in the 'lobby'--or so I assumed that's what it was since it looked like one--of the large castle. And something told me that Mitosu would be waiting there with his two friends and Pronyma.

I shivered, _'I really don't wanna fight anyone right now…I mean even _I_ know I'm still hurt. Mithos said he'd protect me, but there's only so much he can do…I mean, I think he was pretty much even matched with Mitosu last time. But now he has both Jiniasu and Seiji there with him. Not to mention Pronyma's probably going to try to wake the other Feral up and--'_

"Are you okay Genis?"

I jumped and whirled around, "Huh?"

"You're jumpy aren't you?"

I scowled, "So?"

Mithos smiled, "it's okay to be nervous." He looked around at everyone else who had stopped to listen to our conversation, "Are we ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be." Zelos stated with a shrug, "Standin' around here won't get anythin' done faster."

"And Zelos actually says something intelligent for once." Sheena said, shaking her head from side to side, "You really do amaze me sometimes."

"At least I use my head more than you."

"to do what?"

I groaned, "Do you have to fight now?"

"Genis is right." Presea walked up and stood between an angry Zelos and Sheena, "Save the fighting for our enemies."

"She's right, remember last time we went up against Mitosu?" Lloyd asked, folding his arms across his chest, "if he hadn't left we probably would've died."

Zelos sighed and looked away first, "Yeah you're right." Sheena just nodded her head and looked away as well.

"Good to hear you agree. Now let's go."

We nodded our heads in unison and followed Lloyd--the always designated leader--into the warp ring. Sooner than I would've liked we were standing in Venheim.

And there, at the top of the steps, was Mitosu.

But…wait, I thought Jiniasu and Seiji would be here too…but…they aren't…so where…?

"So you really _did_ decide to come." Mitosu stated, a smirk on his face, his eyes turning a deep shade of red, "I was getting bored."

I saw Mithos scowl and shook my head, right now we really didn't need to--

"Getting bored? Well you won't be bored for much longer." Lloyd practically shouted at Mithos' look-alike and I flinched.

We really,_ really_ didn't need to provoke him. But of course Lloyd probably just wanted to get this over with.

"Now where're your little friends?" Lloyd shouted again, "I know they're here with you?"

Mitosu shrugged and teleported to one of the bottom stairs, "I don't know. Where could they be?" his smirk was back, "but it's not like I need their help. I can take care of you all by myself."

_'Well he certainly is confident now isn't he?' _

I gasped softly, _'F-Feral?'_

_'Yes it's me. I'm close by. Pronyma is…here also. Of course. And she's trying to bring out the other me. So don't get too close to Mitosu. He's blocking her.'_

I blinked and looked around the room, _'Blocking her? But I don't even _see_ her.'_

_'She's hiding behind those doors. Just…just listen to me and don't get too close. I'll tell you if she actually succeeds in waking her up.'_

I shook my head, _'Won't she know--uh-oh…' _

While I had been thinking in my head I hadn't noticed that everyone was in fighting stance…and that Mitosu was rushing at Lloyd. I watched as Lloyd frantically tried to pull out his two swords, but he wasn't fast enough so he dodged.

Then he made the mistake of running over towards the rest of us--meaning me, Mithos, Raine and April. Well…it's not that he knew that they were trying to get me again, but…

Mithos grabbed my wrist and yanked me towards him. I gasped when I felt us being transported half way across the room. I looked up at Mithos questioningly and he smiled, "Didn't I say I'd protect you?"

I gulped, "Y-yeah…"

"Feral's back isn't she?"

I nodded my head, "y-yeah…" why could I only say 'yeah'?

Mithos looked down at me, his turquoise eyes serious, "Where's Pronyma?"

I bit my lip, "She's…"

_'If he tries to attack her then she'll just teleport away and there goes your chance of getting me back quickly.' _

"She's…?"

"I-I don't really know. I can hear Feral, so she's close b--" I was cut off by a rather loud, and disturbing, sound coming from nearby. I noticed then that Lloyd had used one of the pillars as a block for Mitosu's attack, and now it was crumbling.

"Uh…what happens if that Pillar crumbles?"

Mithos shrugged, "I assume it would make the ground above weaker." His eyes widened, "That's not good. Lloyd!"

Lloyd glanced over at us.

"Don't attack the damn pillars unless you want us all to die!"

Lloyd flinched and nodded his head. Mitosu overheard this as well, and, ironically enough he seemed to back away from the pillar he was standing next to.

Oh wait…when Mithos said 'all' he must really mean 'all'.

_'What else would he mean? Honestly, they may be our enemies but they're in just as much danger as you are. A collapsing building hurts everyone, not just the innocent or the good you know. It can hurt the one who caused the building to collapse in the first place…not that that person would be willing to stick around that long.'_

I grimaced, "Stop talking about that. It's…" I blushed when I noticed Mithos staring at me, "Um…Feral just, um, she was talking about buildings falling and…"

Mithos shook his head, "It's fine. I understa--crap. Let's move." He grabbed my wrist again and almost…_almost_ managed to teleport us away before Mitosu got to close. But he was _too_ close and he was moving to fast.

Lloyd had been flung across the room, so he really wasn't useful at the moment, and so Mithos pushed me towards the center of the room and blocked one of Mitosu's punches with a well aimed punch of his own.

His punch sent Mitosu staggering backwards until he hit the wall next to a doorway. To my surprise he just stood there for a few seconds, blinking. And then, rather loudly, he asked, "Did you go to a hotsprings recently?"

I blinked, what did a hotsprings have to do with…?

_'It looks like he saw something inside Mithos' head again.' _Feral laughed, _'Well…?'_

I blushed. I had almost forgotten about the whole if Mitosu touches--more like punches--Mithos he sees images from his mind, and vice versa. So that meant that he saw an image from the hotsprings? What did he see? I mean wha--

It was like a slap in the face when I remembered, _'He…he must've seen when Mithos and I bathed together…right before he put that ointment on me. When we watched the sunrise together.' _

Mithos seemed to have already realized this when I looked over at him because his face had paled.

"That's really…that was disturbing." Mitosu shook his head from side to side before smirking, "But anyway," he dashed forward towards Mithos, and Mithos barely dodged this time.

"Hmph, do I need to immobilize you again? It worked last time." Mitosu spat, his eyes growing an even deeper shade of crimson.

"Yeah well it won't work this time." Mithos shot back, "besides, last time I didn't have my Cruxis Crystal. And this time," he closed his eyes and suddenly his rainbow crystalline wings appeared. Mitosu backed up a bit, in shock I guess, but then he smirked.

"You really think just because you have wi—" he was cut off when Lloyd yelled from behind him.

'_Oh, now _that's_ smart.'_

I blinked a few times. Yeah, that _was_ smart. Mithos…Mithos used his wings as a distraction and Lloyd ran up behind…and…

Lloyd brought down one of his swords, crying out, "Heavy Tiger Blade!" before they made contact with Mitosu. I though Mitosu would've moved…but…but…

He didn't. In fact, when he had turned around to see why Lloyd had yelled, or to see what he was going to do, he had frozen when his eyes fell on the two swords in Lloyd's hands.

But why?

---------------------------

Mitosu's POV

I staggered backwards as I felt the sharp pain of that…that _damned _swordsman's sword cut into my arm…dammit I couldn't even _move_ to dodge the hit. When I had seen his swords I just…

I clenched my fist, _'Dammit, I thought I was over that! I can't let it affect me now though. It was only a matter of time before I faced someone who actually used a weapon like a sword.' _

The swordsman they called Lloyd ran towards me again, smirking this time, and I backed away. I felt my stomach twist in knots as the dim light of the room we were in reflecting off the metal of his sword. Now I felt queasy.

Maybe I should have waited until at least Jiniasu came back. If my body still reacted this way towards…towards this _fear_ then I had no choice but to keep dodging Lloyd, as well as the other weapon users in his group, until I got somewhere where they couldn't reach me.

Suddenly I felt the familiar feeling of a wall against my back.

Crap.

Lloyd brought down one of his swords and I visibly flinched. I wanted to move, I _wanted_ to move. But…my body wasn't complying with that order apparently, since I wasn't, well, moving.

I expecting to feel the sharp feeling of the weapon in my flesh but…I didn't.

Instead I heard Lloyd cry out in pain and, when I looked up I saw that he was on the ground, obviously hurt.

"You okay Tosu-chan?!"

I looked up at the walkway above and saw Jiniasu hanging over the edge, looking worried. I almost smiled at him. I was…actually grateful that he was here now. Usually I thought he just got in the way…but now…

He jumped down in front of me, and Seiji followed shortly after, and smirked, "Well, well, well, it looks like the fight started already. Y'know I would've been here on time if…if this place," he waved the arm that wasn't holding his pendant, "didn't have so many damn rooms. Who designed this place anyway?!"

I shook my head, "Jiniasu."

He turned to me and grinned, "Don't worry, we're fightin' now. You just take care of the magic users. Seiji and I'll take care of the rest. Just get somewhere where they can't reach you."

I nodded my head, "That's fine with me." And I teleported to the railing of the walkway overhead. I looked behind me briefly; I could just barely see where Pronyma was hiding, in the shadows with the mirror shard in her hand. If everything went according to plan then we only had about a minute left until she was finished unlocking the 'first' barrier around that mirror piece. Meaning we had about a minute until Genis started feeling the 'other' Feral taking over.

And then we could use _him_ to defeat his own friends. This would be fun. Oh so much fun. I smirked and watched as Lloyd and his friends tried to dodge the attacks. It seemed that Mithos, whom I thought would go after me immediately, was just trying to guard Genis.

Ah…so Feral must've explained more to the boy than I had thought. I turned to look back at Pronyma and she looked back at me. She was tired, I could see that clearly. But…she smiled.

I turned back to face the fighting just in time to see Genis wince and grab his head.

"Wh-what…?" he looked so confused, and in pain, "What's…going on? Feral…?"

I looked back at Pronyma and nodded my head. She closed her eyes briefly and smirked. Slowly I saw the black chain around her waist unravel. It slithered along the floor and down the stairs, keeping to the shadows, like a snake.

Luckily Genis was actually _in_ the shadows, so he didn't see the chains until he felt one wrap its way around his ankle.

He cried out again, looking even worse than he had a few minutes ago. A few seconds after this and the chain had split into four chains. One was around each ankle, the third was around his middle, and the fourth was around his neck.

"Gah!"

"Genis!"

The chains slowly rose, dragging the boy with them, and soon Pronyma came out into plain view. She smirked.

"Well, look at this." She said, holding the mirror piece—which was now surrounded by an eerie black aura—out in front of her, "We finally have you. Your head hurts doesn't it?"

Genis struggled as the chains pulled him closer to Pronyma. They pulled him until he was standing right in front of her. He looked afraid; I could see it in his eyes, even from here. But also, behind the fear, I saw…determination. Well, that always made things more fun in the end. Determination.

"Wh-what…do you…want?" Genis gasped out, the chain still tight around his neck.

"What do you _think_ we want? We want you to release Feral. So you'll come with us like a _good boy_ and everything will be all fine and good."

I smirked as Genis glared at her. He didn't know when to give up, did he?

"No."

"Oh and why not?" Pronyma asked, sounding all too innocent for her own good. It actually sounded creepy, even to me, for her to be using that tone.

"Because…" Genis looked down, and that's when I saw it. His Exsphere…it was glowing, "because…she doesn't want this." He closed his eyes.

"Who doesn't want this? _Feral_ doesn't want this? Why doesn't she want this?" Pronyma asked, now looking annoyed, "We're going to set her free! Isn't that what she wants?" she started to laugh. And I had to fight the urge to laugh with her. It looked like Jiniasu and Seiji were doing the same.

"She…doesn't want to be set free…this way. She does _not_ want the other her to take over." Genis' voice was a dead whisper now, which made me forget all about laughing.

I looked at Jiniasu again, and I saw his face pale. He had heard that kind of whisper; I'm sure, coming from Neo. But…

I turned my gaze back on the young half-elf. He was shaking now, and his hand was clenched in a fist.

"Look at me boy."

He looked up; there were tears in his eyes. He quickly shut them again, "She doesn't want this!" And then he lifted one hand—the hand with the Exsphere on it—and made a grand sweeping motion with it.

And out from it came a single wave of black energy, it almost looked like a blade. And it…it…

It hit Pronyma.

-----------------------------

**Me: **And that's the end of this chapter. Heh, can anyone guess why Mitosu hates fighting people with weapons?

**April: **I'm sure you've made it easy enough for them to tell, but…I suppose its okay to guess. But what's with cutting the fighting scene in half?

**Me: **Well this chapter was getting a bit on the long side…so I kinda _had_ to. Oh, and the fighting ISN'T over with yet.

**April:**…that's why I said you cut it in half.

**Me:** Meh, well, this fight isn't over with yet, but there's going to be more fighting in the next two chapters as well.

**April: **Well…that _is_ true. And Pronyma finally dies doesn't she?

**Me: **You'll just have to wait and see now as always R&R! You all should be happy that I finished this chapter early, and I'll start on the next chapter right after this too!

**April: **No really, she probably will…


	58. Releasing the Seal

**Me: **Here's Chapter 58, only three more chapters until TU is officially over with.

**Feral: **Yes…only three more…and they _still_ haven't saved me yet –glares-

**Me: -**gulp- err…d-don't worry you'll be saved soon!

**To Understand: Part Fifty-eight**

**Releasing the Seal**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews: **

**Alaia Skyhawk: **-backs away slowly- whoa…someone wanted me to update fast. Well, I'm updating so ta-dah! You'll figure out what happens with Pronyma and you'll get to see what happens when they actually _do_ get to where Feral is being kept. So yeah, enjoy!

**LittleLinor: **I hate the new log-in system too (it's annoying XP). I'm glad the last chapter made your day before the oh-so-horrible exam and –hugs- thanks for the good luck…I needed it for the middle part of this chapter.

**Dawnstarshine: **Well…you asked to update in a hurry, and this chapter's out earlier than the last one was, so, yeah, enjoy!

**Lyurii: **Well…I do update extremely fast over the summer/at the beginning of the school year (yes I updated this fast when I first started TU) so I'm kinda used to it. And it helps being kept busy during the day. I mean I'd get bored not having anything to do since I stay home most of the time during the summer. And thanks for the congrats. I never really thought I'd get past 500 pages with TU…not that I thought I'd be getting over chapter 60 with TU but I am. But the Easy Bake Oven thing…? That made me laugh so hard. And you're welcome for the clarifying (I thought you meant pots and pans and stuff like that).

**Viaroura Fox: **Yes Pronyma got hurt, you'll see how badly in this chapter. And you'll also figure out how/what he used to attack her (both from Feral's explanation in the beginning and near the end) so hopefully that'll clear up the 'how' for you. And of course enjoy the chapter!

**Me: **Yeah, and then they're going to go and get you.

**Feral: **Finally. Hmm, well, I really see no need to say this anymore but if Harmony283 really _did_ own Tales of Symphonia…why would she be writing this?

**Authors Note: **Really, why would I be writing this if I owned it? And as Feral said this chapter focuses on wrapping up the fight with the Darkness Trio, and heading off to make the pact with the Summon Spirit of Death. How will everything turn out? And will they really be able to make the pact with Feral?

**WARNING (For the next 3 chapters): **Character Death, blood, and language

**Feral: **First time you're really putting a warning…isn't it?

**Me: **Yeah I suppose so.

-----------------------------

Genis' POV

"She doesn't want this!" I shouted, raising my hand. Suddenly…I don't…I don't know what happened but I felt myself slam into something, not in real life, but in my mind. It felt like I hit a brick wall.

Then I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. It was Feral. She looked worried, _'Genis, your power is getting out of control! You have to calm down and _think_.'_

I blinked a few times and nodded my head, "O-Okay…"

_'Because if you don't,'_ she continued on like she hadn't even heard me, _'you'll end up killing more people besides just Pronyma.'_

That got my attention, my eyes widened and suddenly I felt myself being thrown back out…of my mind? I guess…that kinda makes sense. But…my eyes widened even more when I felt something…warm and wet, but a sick kind of wet, trickle down the side of my face. I felt the same kind of wet on my right arm. And…some of the wetness seemed to be in my hair and on my clothes as well. I blinked a few times, trying to actually see what it was…but my head refused to move. So I just looked in front of me.

There, up against two large wooden—or what looked like wooden—door's was Pronyma's body. There was a wound in her stomach, and her arms had gashes in them and were bleeding. The blood really contrasted with the purple tiles though…and it…just seemed to spread until it went into the cracks between the tiles. Now it looked like a kind of red river between each tile that was near Pronyma's body.

A river made of her blood. Who did this?

Finally I could move my hand, which for some reason was out in front of me. When I got a chance to look at it…it…had something red on it. It must be blood from Pronyma but…

Blood…from…Pronyma.

Wait…

'_You're a bit slow aren't you? You're the one who killed Pronyma. Or rather, the other Feral lent her powers to you and you killed her. It seems you are capable of controlling the other me. Congratulations.' _

But…

"I-I…didn't want her to die that way."

_'Well there's not much you can do about it now, y'know.' _

I grimaced at the sharp tone of her voice, and brought my hand up to my head. Of course this was the hand that had blood on it but that didn't really matter. What mattered was my head was hurting. Was this always a side effect for whenever Feral was involved?

"Oww…"

"Genis!"

I shuddered as someone called my name, it sounded like Mithos. When I finally managed to look to my side I saw Mithos kneeling next to me. He looked worried. Of course why wouldn't he be worried? I just killed Pronyma…using the power of the person—or Summon Spirit—I had been trying to contain.

"Genis are you okay?" he asked, softly, "I mean, are you…you're shaking…what," he paused and looked at me hard, as if asking if he could talk about Feral in front of them. Not that it really mattered before. He obviously got that I didn't care and continued, "What did Feral say?"

I heard a few of the people in our group gasp at this, but I ignored it, "I…she…said that I could control the Other Feral's Powers. _Congratulations_."

Mithos flinched at my cold tone, I didn't mean to be so cold, but…I looked down at my feet, holding my head again, "I didn't want to use her powers that way…" I mumble, feeling like I was about to cry.

_'But you did.'_

I wanted to say shut-up but…I couldn't find my voice.

"Genis." April whispered from somewhere on the other side of me. I faintly felt her hand rest on my arm. She wrapped her hand around my wrist and pulled my hand away from my face. She then lifted my chin, "Look at me, Genis." I complied and looked up at her. She nodded her head, "It's okay."

I blinked, "What?"

"It's okay. It's okay that you can use her powers without them controlling you. It's okay that…that Pronyma died because of them. She needed to know that you can't control death by force. And you showed her that. It's…It's okay."

I choked back a sob and leaned into Mithos hold when I felt his arms wrap around me. I felt tears falling down my cheeks even though I wasn't necessarily sad. It was a good thing that Pronyma was dead, that her lifeless body was there and that we could all see it, but…I did feel bad. Even if April said it was okay it still didn't take away from the fact that I hadn't wanted to use Feral's powers that way.

Then I remembered…Feral…the Mirror shard.

I looked up and saw the Mirror piece hanging suspended in the air only about two inches above my head. I held my hand out and it floated towards me till it was floating in the palm of my hand. It still had a dark aura to it, which meant that Feral must still be in pain.

"Are you still hurt?" I asked her, and I felt more than heard her response. It made me flinch. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

"You're hurting still aren't you? But how do I make this go away?"

"How about you_ don't_ make it go away and we just take that with us?" the Feral look-alike asked in a huff, folding her arms over her chest. But she wasn't moving anywhere near me. She was actually eyeing Pronyma, or rather the black chain that was around her waist.

_'She can try to take the Mirror away from you, but she'll regret it.' _Feral informed me, and I smirked.

"If you wanna take it away from me, be my guest. But it'll hurt."

Seiji flinched, "I…Jiniasu?"

Jiniasu shook his head, "I wouldn't."

"I wouldn't either. You can take that mirror if you want and try to find the actual mirror it goes to." Mitosu said with a shrug, "We'll just…deal with Pronyma. We won't try to stop you."

Feral nodded her head, _'That's good. Now Genis, I want you to listen to me. Concentrate hard on this Mirror piece, draw the aura into you. Don't worry, it won't hurt. It might actually make you feel better.' _

I nodded my head, and closed my eyes.

"Genis?" April asked from next to me, she sounded worried but I think Mithos shook his head or…or did _something_ because she backed off.

As I continued to focus on the Mirror I…felt something really cold flow into me. It felt like those dark chains, except for it was much friendlier. I smiled to myself; _'This must be the aura.'_

_'It is.'_ Feral said, sounding relieved, _'It's flowing into you, like it should. Now…Maxwell, he read your Mana Signature didn't he?'_

I nodded my head.

_'Then he must have noticed it was incomplete. This is why. Until you come in contact with the Summon Spirit of Death your seal won't be complete. When you do come into contact with the Summon Spirit of Death--me--then your Mana Signature turns black. After you make the pact, it will be completed. Until you make the pact this will have to do.'_

I faintly wondered what she meant by 'this' when suddenly the cold feeling stopped. I opened my eyes and looked around, everything seemed a bit clearer for some reason and, when I looked back at the Mirror piece, I saw that the aura was no longer there.

I smiled, "Are you okay now?"

Feral nodded her head, _'Yes I'm fine now. Don't worry about me anymore. Just worry about making the Pact.'_

I managed to stand up with help from Mithos and I turned to face everyone, "I think we can make the pact now." I smiled, "And I think I know where the actual mirror is that this piece goes to."

Sheena's eyes widened, "You do?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah, it's the room Pronyma took me to. The room Mithos saved me from the first time I was here."

"So he really _did_ save you." Raine whispered and I looked over at her, she was standing right behind April.

"What?"

"Oh, ah, nothing. You're right, we should go…"

I turned my head to look once more at Pronyma's body. It still made me sick…but…

'_She's dead, get over it.'_

I sighed. Feral was right, but, _'You don't need to say it like _that_.' _

Feral shrugged, _'Sorry. Now hurry up and set me free! Do you _know_ how long I've been stuck in this thing?'_

"Twelve years." I muttered, "I know…" I tried standing, with Mithos' help, and then I let out a sigh, "Okay…let's…go…"

"I'll lead the way." Mithos murmured, "Because I know this place better than any of you do."

Kratos and Yuan both glared at him, but Mithos just shrugged, "Well I _do_."

--------------------

Mithos' POV

We walked up four flights of stairs in utter silence, which honestly disturbed me. Was everyone _that_ worried about the fight against Feral? I looked at Genis, who was walking along next to me, a pained look on his face. It looked like he and Feral were having an argument inside his head. That must not be fun.

I touched his shoulder lightly and he turned to face me. I smiled and he tried to smile back. He then turned his attention back to the mirror that was floating above the palm of his hand; his eyes…were dark and cold looking.

_'What's going on in his head? He looks…' _I stopped this train of thought when we reached the room that I had found Genis in when Pronyma had kidnapped him the first time. I walked in and the first thing I noticed was the bloodstain in the center of the room. Well…that was appealing.

"Oh." I heard Raine gasp; she seemed to have spotted the bloodstain as well.

But Genis…he ignored it. He walked right by the stain, his eyes flickering on it for a moment, before they rested on the lone mirror in the room, "Here it is." He murmured, holding up the mirror piece. I hurried over to stand next to him as the mirror piece floated into it's place--in the top right hand corner of the mirror. Now the strange pattern was complete.

We waited for a few minutes, but nothing happened.

"Now what are we supposed to do?" Sheena asked, sounding annoyed, "or did it work at all?"

"Oh it worked." Genis muttered, "it worked _just fine_. Feral said so. It just…" he paused and his eyes narrowed, "I have to," he reached his hand out, "it has something to do with me touching or breaking the mirror. But I don't want to break it. So…" he placed his right hand flat on the mirrors surface, and suddenly the engravings around the border began to glow.

"I think…I think it's working!" Genis sounded surprised as he said this, like he wasn't even sure it was supposed to work, and when I opened up my eyes--which I hadn't known I closed--I saw that the mirrors surface was…rippling? Like a rock being thrown into the center of a lake, ripples formed from the point where his hand rested and they moved outward.

Then Genis' hand sunk into the glass.

"Wha…? What's going on?!" Genis whimpered; flinching as his hand sunk further into the glass, "My head…my head hurts…"

I grabbed his shoulder, "Genis? Is this…" I tried tugging him back but he yelped in pain and I stopped, "What's going on?"

"I-I don't know! Feral…she…she's hurt! She said her other self is…somehow she woke up when the Mirror started glowing! She said that this wasn't supposed to--ahh!"

Before he could finish his sentence, and before I could even register what was going on, we were falling. We were falling through the mirror, and yet it didn't break. We were sucked into the mirror.

But how?

I shook my head, we falling too fast to be worrying about the 'how'. At this rate when we hit the ground--assuming there _is_ a ground--we'd be as good as dead…or at least we would be hurt severely.

I closed my eyes, concentrating on making my wings come out, and sighed when I felt that they had. At times like this I was _really_ glad I had my Cruxis Crystal. They made these wings possible.

_'But where's Genis?' _

I looked around frantically; he wasn't below me…so…I stopped my decent and looked up just in time to see him fall past me. He was falling much slower than I was. That was probably because he was lighter than me, but he was still falling. And he looked like he was about to be sick.

"Genis!" I swooped down and managed to grab him around his waist. The extra weight made me wince; I had to flap my wings much harder in order to stop him from continuing his fall, and in order for me to carry his extra weight.

"h-huh?" Genis looked back at me, a look of shock on his face, "Mithos! You're…you're okay!" He hugged me tightly, "I'm so glad."

I nodded my head, "I'm glad too. I'm glad you're okay but," I looked above me, and my eyes widened. Instead of seeing the tunnel--or whatever it was--that we had been falling through I saw a glass dome a few feet above us. It seemed to have cut us off from our way out. I flew up to it and, making sure I had Genis secured with one arm, I banged on it with my free hand. "Dammit! How do we get back out?"

I turned to face Genis, and he shook his head, "I think I know how. But we need to land. And, um, you don't really have to carry me."

I blinked, "What? But you'll fall!"

"I have wings too."

"But your--"

I was cut off when he kissed me lightly on the lips. He pulled away shortly afterwards and, wincing, he closed his eyes. A few seconds later and his wings appeared. They…they were…they were beautiful. Just like the feather on my charm. Then again, the feather that made my charm did come from his angel wings so I really should've been expecting it.

"See." Genis smiled, circling around me, "I can use my wings just fine."

I shook my head, "I can see that. Just…just if your back starts to hurt, I'll carry you."

He nodded his head and started flying downwards towards the ground. And, when I really did look below me, I _did_ see the ground. It was one large mirror. Genis landed on it gracefully before waving at me.

I landed a few seconds later, and looked around, "Where are we?"

"Inside the mirror." Genis stated plainly, "and I'm assuming we'll see Feral soon. I just hope it's the Feral I _want_ to see."

_'Oh don't worry.'_

I flinched

_'I'm the Feral you want to see.' _

Suddenly a girl around Genis' age, with silver hair--up in two pigtails--and silver eyes appeared right in front of us. She was wearing an egg-shell white dress with designs around the bottom and a single ribbon tied around her middle. She smiled, _'It's so nice to see you again Genis. And you,' _she turned to me, _'You're Mithos? You really are much cuter in person.'_

I blinked, "Err…thanks?"

"It's good to see you too, Feral. But…what…what happened? You look fine."

Feral shook her head, _'I wasn't until a few minutes ago. When you two started falling, the older me made her way up. I'm worried about your friends. You need to get out of here.' _

Genis sighed, "Yeah we'd like to, but how?"

_'The same way you always,' _she looked up_, 'Oh. A barrier? That's easy to get rid of. Um, if you don't mind, close your eyes, it may get a little bright in here.'_

"But--"

Her eyes narrowed, _'Do you want to be blinded?'_

Genis glared at her but shut up. He turned to me and nodded his head before shutting his eyes tightly. I did the same.

Not that it really did much good. I mean, she was right next to us. And…and whatever she did, it was much brighter than we had thought. I actually had to lift my hands and cover my eyes with them as well, that's how bright it was.

"_Feral_! That's…what did you…!"

_'Don't open your eyes yet! Oh...no…you can now.' _

Genis sighed and immediately looked up, "What could you ha--wow…you _did_ get rid of the barrier. But it felt so strong. There was so much Mana that got put into making it…"

_'I'm the Summon Spirit of Death,'_ Feral replied coyly, _'I _kill_ things. I can kill Mana too.' _

I flinched at this. What a disturbing thought.

She turned to me and grinned, _'Isn't it though?'_

I flinched again, "You can read minds?

_'Only in here, yes.' _Then she sighed, _'But you have to promise me,'_ she turned to look at Genis, _'Promise me that you'll really set me free.'_

Genis smiled, "Well then, why don't you come with us?"

_'But I can't--'_

"The other you got out didn't she? Well…what if I try and force her to go back. I suppressed her before. I think I can do it again. I mean, it might not have the same effects but if she submits then maybe you can come out as well!"

Feral blinked a few times, her eyes widening a bit, _'If you can do that…then…then yes that's possible. Then I can talk to her! That's a great idea!' _she smiled up at Genis and hugged him, _'Thank you.'_

"Y-you're…welcome?"

Feral then turned to me, _'And thank you.'_ She hugged me as well.

"Err…yeah."

_'Now you'd better leave. I don't think your friends stand much of a chance against her.' _

Genis nodded his head, "Okay." He was about to lift into the air, but Feral placed her hand over his exsphere, "Huh?"

_'I wouldn't use your wings to get back up. You said your friends don't know about your wings right?'_

"Right."

_'Then let Mithos carry you up.' _She grinned again, _'Besides, wouldn't you like that better? Wouldn't you rather be in your boyfriends arms?' _

Genis blushed and looked over at me, I shrugged, "I don't mind. It's not like it hurts to carry you or anything."

"W-well…if you say so…okay."

_'Admit it…you'd rather have your boyfriend hold you than--' _

"Shut up Feral!"

_'Sorry.'_

But…she didn't sound sorry.

I sighed and pulled Genis towards me, "Okay then, we're leaving."

_'Good luck. And I hope you succeed.' _

"Uh, thanks." He turned to me and nodded his head, "Okay let's get out of here now."

"Yeah…I know." And then I spread my wings and lifted us into the air, speeding off towards the way we had come.

To say I wasn't expecting anything unusual to happen when we reached the mirror that led out to where everyone else was would be a lie. In fact I half expected there to be another barrier that we had to break through. But there wasn't any.

Instead we were staring through the mirror, at everyone as they prepared to attack what looked to be like an older version of Feral.

"That's the older Feral?" I asked, "she looks…different."

"Yeah…"

And really once you looked at her long enough she _did_ look completely different. Her hair color was the same, but her eyes…they were a much deeper shade of blue. And they were much colder looking. She also wasn't wearing the same, simple dress that Feral had been wearing. Instead she wore a tight fitting pale blue dress that fanned out on one side, kind of like what April's dress did. She also had a long staff with a sharp curved blade on the end that looked to be made out of some type of crystal. It had blood on it too, which made me feel a bit queasy.

Whoever she had attacked must be really hurt right now. I turned my attention back to Genis when he tugged at my arm. He placed his right hand once more on the glass, but this time we went right through without there being any ripples or…or anything like that. We tumbled out of the mirror, drawing everyone's attention to us.

The Older Feral looked angry.

--------------------------------------

Genis' POV

I couldn't believe it when I saw the older Feral standing there, glaring at us. It…I…I felt so cold. She looked angry; no I'm sure she _was_ angry. And there was blood on that…that blade. Who did she hurt?

"How did you escape?"

I shivered as she spoke, thankfully though, Mithos spoke for me. He stepped in front of me, glaring at her, "Why do you want to know?"

"Because Feral promised she wouldn't let you escape."

"And why would you believe her? You hurt her, you probable even _made_ her say that."

The Older Feral didn't even flinch. Instead she raised her staff and, in one grand sweeping motion, she brought it down. When the blade hit the ground everyone moved. But…it was too fast. Mithos barely dodged it…but I couldn't…

It hit me and I felt myself falling backwards. But instead of falling _through_ the mirror, I crashed into it. I heard the sound of the glass cracking, but ignored it. I…I felt too cold to feel the pain anyway.

'_Genis!" _

I gasped when I heard Ferals voice, _'F-Feral?'_

'_I can see what she's doing to you! You have…you have to force her to stop! Yell at her if you have to! Or…or else she might just kill you!' _

I flinched at the urgency in her voice, _'How can she kill me when I'm her seal?'_

I felt Feral shake her head, _'Because she doesn't know you are her seal. She should be able to listen to you if you talk to her. Then maybe…if you immobilize her for just a few seconds I…I might be able to get out. I'm already heading your way so please hurry!'_

I nodded my head and staggered to my feet, ignoring the fact that my legs were refusing—or trying to refuse—the movement….ignoring…ignoring the fact that I felt _way too cold_. I met Feral's eyes with my own, and I saw her raise her staff again. She was going to attack but I had to stop her.

"Feral, listen to me."

She smirked, "Why on this earth or planet, or whatever you call this twisted split world, would I _listen_ to a young boy like you? You aren't even…no…you aren't even a _teenager _yet. What right do you have to ask me to listen to you?"

I shook my head, ignoring the fact that it really hurt to do that, "Because I _have_ the right to make you listen to me." My voice was getting louder, "I have that right and you _will_ listen to me."

Feral shook her head, her smirk widening, "Fine then, I suppose if you believe that then I should just make you die." Her eyes half lidded and they focused on me, "You should know I don't listen to others very well."

then she raised her staff again and…and…I felt the power surge through the staff to the blade and then I saw the attack, the attack which I thought before was invisible. The attack was a single blade of black energy, almost like the attack I had used to kill Pronyma.

'_That's because that _is_ the attack you used to kill Pronyma.' _Feral stated, sounding much closer to me than she ever had before.

'_Feral?' _

She nodded her head, _'Yes I'm here…I'm coming through now. You gave me just enough time. Though I would've liked maybe a few seconds more, but beggars can't be choosers now can they? Just…just hold on. That attack may hurt you even more than you can feel.' _She paused and, I don't know what she did since I couldn't see her, but then she continued, _'I want you to bring out your wings. That's the only way you can really…not be hurt as severely by that attack.' _

I nodded my head and, despite everyone shouting at me to move, I closed my eyes and called out my wings. They probably would be surprised at this, even Mithos would be surprised, but I _really_ didn't want to be hurt even more than I already was. I mean I could _feel_ the blood from my wound trickling down my back. And it made me feel disgusted. Not to mention I still had dried blood on my hand from when Pronyma died.

Not that I had time to think about that because, in a split second I found myself hitting the glass once again, though this time my wings acted as a cushion and it didn't hurt as bad. But now the glass was, well, pretty much shattered. But it still kept it's form.

"Hmm?" The Older Feral looked amused, "You have Angel Wings?"

"You…you have Angel Wings?" Lloyd, or someone, asked from somewhere over on the other side of the room. I was breathing to hard to answer, so they continued, "But you can't have Angel wings unless you have Cruxis Crystal on you…"

'_That's true.' _

I flinched and gasped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked at it and then I looked up at who it belonged to. It was…it was…

Feral.

It worked!

_'Yes it worked.' _She attempted to smile at me, but it came out a bit crooked. She turned to face her Older self, _'Do you know why I'm here?'_

The Older Feral shook her head, "No I can't fathom why. I locked you in that mirror. Did you _lie_ when you said you would keep those two in there? Why did you lie to me?"

Feral smirked, _'Why did I lie? I lied because you are only my other self. You are not my Master. I listen to my Master—our Seal—over anyone and everyone else. You should know that.' _

The Older Feral flinched, "Yes but…this boy…"

Feral bent down to me, grabbing my right hand and holding it up, _'See this. Does this look familiar?'_

I felt the Older Feral stare at me for a while before moving her gaze to my hand. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on my Exsphere. Then she spoke, "It's an Exsphere. But…it's an unusual one." I saw her eyes widen and she turned her gaze to Feral, "Where did he get it?"

Feral shook her head, _'I don't know where he got the original Exsphere but—"_

"Where is your Cruxis Crystal?" the Older Feral suddenly asked, "Where did you put it? I don't see it on you."

Feral then smirked, _'I don't have it on me. I gave it to this boy. It's mixed with his Exsphere.'_

Well she really could've just said that from the beginning. It would've saved a _lot_ of unnecessary talking.

"Y-You gave it to him…?" the Older Feral looked back at me. Her eyes were now wide, much like a deer's eyes when they were afraid, "But…why?"

_'Look at him closely. Or rather, look at his eyes. Who do they remind you of?'_

It felt odd to have the Older Feral stare at my eyes like that. But her gaze didn't seem as cold as it had before. I even felt warmer than I had a few minutes ago.

"I…they remind me of..." she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, after what seemed like an eternity in silence, she continued. Her voice was much gentler, but it was still as cold as it had been. Her statement was simple, but it was also like a question.

She said:

"So you are Kloitz's son."

---------------------------------------

**Me: **Well…there ya go…Chapter 58.

**Feral: **Yes and I'm _finally_ free. Though I must admit you ended the chapter on a dramatic note, didn't you?

**Me: **Yeah, but I'm still not happy with it…or at least the middle part.

**Feral: **Well at least the beginning and end are good. So don't worry so much about it.

**Me: **And you're actually being really nice for once.

**Feral: **-scowl-

**Me: **Err…well…anyway R&R! I already have the next chapter typed up (and I stayed up late yesterday to type it) so yeah, review and I'll upload it after it's beta-ed.


	59. I Hate Interruptions

**Me: **And Here's TU59!

**April: **-nods head- yes…here it is.

**Me: **You sound sleepy.

**April: **And you aren't? -looks at clock- it's past 12 o'clock at night and you stayed up the night before until 1AM trying to finish TU58…

**Me: **Eh-heh-heh…that's true.

**To Understand: Part Fifty-nine**

**I hate Interruptions **

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**Alaia Skyhawk-**Yes Pronyma's officially dead. But the hard part isn't over yet (as you'll see by this chapter). I'm glad you liked the last chapter and here's the next one, enjoy!

**Lyurii-**Yes Pronyma died...finally. And I think I did well enough on it (though like I said I didn't like the middle part). But yeah, I'm glad you liked the last chapter, here's the next one, and good luck with the commissions.

**Viaroura Fox-**Yeah Genis killed Pronyma. Don't worry, I'm not going to make anyone else die, especially Mitosu, Jiniasu, and Seiji. They're too important (at least in the sequel) to kill. As for what the Older Feral will do next...you'll see in this chapter. So, yeah, enjoy!

**Dawnstarshine-**Well when I say I'm going to update fast...I guess I really mean it. The only reason I wouldn't update only a day apart would be for reviews. I get more reviews if I wait. And yes Pronyma is finally dead. After...58 chapters...really, I think I extended her being alive a bit longer than I meant to originally but -shrugs- it doesn't matter now. Here's the newest chapter of TU--enjoy!

**LittleLinor: **Heh, something told me you'd like that part. And I'm glad you like the older Feral. And yes there're only 3 more chapters (well 2 if you don't count this one, and 1 if you don't count the epilogue) so unless if what I have planned for the next chapter gets to be too long then there will offically be only 61 chapters in TU. And then I can work on the sequel.

**April: **Ah, the title's interesting…

**Me: **It is isn't it? Don't worry you'll see why it's named that soon.

**April: **okay. Well, Harmony283 -yawns- well she doesn't own what she doesn't own and she does own what she does own…so there.

**Authors Note: **Nice and simple disclaimer. Hmm, well, in this -yawn- err, excuse me. -cough- in this chapter You get to hear a bit of an explanation around why Genis was chosen to be Feral's seal--and everyone else in the group will realize/be told that Genis is his seal. Then it's time to make a pact. But what's this about a payment? And what happens when Mitosu, Jiniasu, and Seiji interrupt?

**April: **Hence the name of the title

**Me: **-nods head-

---------------------------

Raine's POV

I-I didn't know what to do when I saw Genis being sucked into that…that…I wasn't even sure it was an actual mirror. But I _almost_ went after him. Mithos got there before me, though. I would've gone in after them, but…but…

Then _she_ came out.

She was, to say beautiful wouldn't really describe it. Yes she would fit the description nicely, she had white hair, startling blue eyes, pale skin and a wonderful figure, but…she was also scary. Her eyes, though a beautiful shade of blue, held some sort of hatred for someone, I wasn't sure who. They also had the glint of someone who had murdered many people. Her skin being pale was from the obvious lack of sun.

Her scyth-like weapon was what scared me the most. When she first appeared she used it--sweeping it across the floor--and no one had been prepared enough to dodge the invisible attack. Then, somehow, there was blood on the blade. I didn't know where it was from, but for a second I thought it was Genis', that she had run into him and…and killed him.

But that fear had been quickly snuffed out when Genis, being carried by Mithos, fell back through the mirror. I hadn't expected anything else to happen after that. But that woman, the Summon Spirit of Death that Maxwell called Feral, she seemed so interested in Genis and why he had escaped. She talked about another Feral. A Feral she had tried to hurt, but that had gone against her orders of keeping them locked in the mirror.

Why?

And why did Genis have angel wings? Did Mithos give them to him? Or what? But the other Feral, the younger one, had explained that…that somehow he had a Cruxis Crystal mixed in with his Exsphere. When had that happened? When had Genis been in contact with this Feral before? Why did Feral give him the Cruxis Crystal--their master's Cruxis Crystal--in the first place?

I got that answer when the Older Feral told us, in a voice that was as cold as always, and yet it was laced with shock and almost fear.

"So you are Kloitz's son."

It was a statement. Not a question.

But Kloitz…that was…that was our father's name. The name on that tomb stone Genis had found in Exire. Was this the same Kloitz? What was…? My thoughts were cut off when the Summon Spirit spoke again.

"You are Kloitz's son. I never knew Kloitz had a son." She looked at her other self accusingly.

The younger Feral just shrugged, _'Because you were asleep when he told me. And…' _she looked at her feet before continuing, _'And do you know when he told me?' _

The Summon Spirit's eyes narrowed, "No. When did he tell you?"

_'The day…' _

"You were sealed away." Genis finished. This caught me off guard. How did he know…?

_'So that was what that dream was about.' _

Genis shook his head, "If I could remember, I would tell you. I just kinda figured it was then anyway. You were the one sealed away in the mirror, that day was the day I was born, the day he gave you his Cruxis Crystal _and_ the day he threw you--or rather the piece of mirror you were sealed in--into the…into the waters in Ymir forest." Genis looked really sad now. But also serious. Mithos, who had somehow made his way next to him, placed a hand on his shoulder.

_'Well you figured correctly.' _

"That still doesn't really explain anything you know. Why was I chosen?"

Both Feral's looked at each other, and then back at Genis, "Because." The older Feral started, "The heir to the seal has to be the one more willing to accept the task." She paused and shook her head, "Normally the more willing one to accept anything would be the younger sibling. And you were younger."

Genis grimaced, "So it's just because I was younger?"

The younger Feral shook her head, _'No. Not necissarily. Though it's true that you would want to stand out in some way--since your sister seems to be important in her own right, it's because you understand death better than your sister.' _

Well It definitely felt odd to be talked about when I was in the room. And what--

"What?"

The older Feral sighed, "She means what she means. You understand it more. You aren't afraid of it are you?"

Genis shrugged, "What's to be afraid of? I'm more afraid of getting hurt and having to suffer through the pain than dying. There's nothing _scary_ about death. Dying, yeah it's scary depending on how you die, but death it's self isn't."

Both Feral's smirked at this, but the younger spoke, _'You definitely have…a way with words. See, I knew you understood it better. Dying is scary, death is not. Being dead is not scary, but getting to death is the scary part.' _

"Yeah."

"That…makes sense?" Mithos asked, looking a bit startled.

And why wouldn't he be? Has Genis…always been like this? Ever since the journey started I never really noticed.

_'That does explain why he's so careful not to get hurt though. That explains why he's so afraid sometimes. He hates the thought of dying. But so far he's gotten hurt more than any of us. He must be so afraid now…' _

"Yeah it does. Think about it, Mithos and you'll get it." Genis smiled, "You might not even realize it, but you aren't afraid of death, are you?"

Mithos blinked a few times, looking a bit taken back by the question, "Well…death itself? I wouldn't want to meet with death so soon. But…I suppose once your dead you don't really need to feel afraid because you can't die again."

Genis nodded his head, "Yeah. That's right."

The Older Feral stepped forward, "Yes," some how her weapon had disappeared and now her arms were crossed over her chest, "that's right. Absolutely correct, no errors in that at all. But let me ask you something. Something…just to make sure…" she teleported in front of Genis, touching his Exsphere gently, "did anything unusual ever happen to you in your life? Anything…you know for a fact isn't normal?"

Genis looked scared for a moment, but then he calmed down and nodded, "Yeah…a few things."

"Tell me them in order."

Genis nodded his head, "W-well…" he looked over at me and then gulped, "the one thing I can think of that was _really_ odd…was that I-I could see someone…who was already dead."

The Summon Spirit's eyes narrowed, "I see. Anything else?"

"You mean besides the fact that before he came here he only had _half_ of his Mana Signature?" Mithos asked before Genis could even open his mouth, "how is that possible?"

Both Feral's shrugged, _'It's a side effect of being the heir to our Seal.' _

"So _that's…_what…what Genis is?" I hadn't even meant to speak that out loud, but both Feral's were nodding their heads.

"Yes he's apparently our seal."

_'That's why he's the only one I'll listen to now. He wanted to be let out of the mirror so I agreed.'_

"Yes, it makes sense. When I was awakened that one time, I'm not sure where we were but I have a feeling it was close to the place we were sealed away, you were able to suppress me back into my seal." The older Feral smiled softly, "Only our former Master could do that that perfectly. And…it was your first time encountering me."

_'And then the most recent.' _The younger Feral said, _'was when you killed Pronyma. I'm sure only you noticed Genis, but the attack was the same.' _

Genis grimaced again, "Yeah…dark magic. Is that what it's called?"

_'Yes.' _Feral nodded her head, _'You controlled it, made it into a visible form, and killed Pronyma.' _

Everytime she said 'killed Pronyma' Genis flinched. Now I was getting worried.

"Yeah well I didn't want to use your power _that way_. I'm sure we could've…gotten rid of her another way. Or Mithos could've."

Mithos shrugged, "That was what I was planning on doing. But she was about to awaken…you," he nodded his head at the Summon Spirit, "again and turn you," He turned to Genis, "Against us. You had every reason to want to kill her right then and there."

Genis looked down at the ground, "Ah…I guess."

A few minutes of silence passed before the Summon Spirit spoke up, "Now then, I believe you have a pact to make with us, Genis?"

Genis flinched and looked up at her, "I-I guess I do, don't I? What…what do I do?"

The Summon Spirit smiled, or at least attempted to, and said, "Really it's very easy. You know how to control me. Maybe not fully yet, but you will learn. All you have to tell me now is what you want."

_'What he wants…? That…that should be easy enough.'_ I almost sighed in relief, _'this is turning out to be much easier than I thought it would be.' _

"What I want?"

"Your reason for wanting to make a pact with me." The Summon Spirit shook her head, "It can be as simple as 'I want to use your powers'. That was your fathers excuse of a pact. But he did use our powers…accordingly."

Genis' eyes narrowed, "I'm wondering what you mean by accordingly." He muttered, and really, I was wondering too. From what I had read in my diary it didn't seem that our father used the powers for something evil.

"Well your father was only sixteen at the time, it's not like he really knew what he was going to do in the world. After all he was a rich noble," Feral shrugged, "It's not like he really needed to do anything. Of course he went into service for the King and ended up in good favor and…well…then he met your mother and you'll learn the rest. Now hurry and make your pact, I'm getting anxious."

Genis nodded his head, "O-okay. Um, well…I…I want to use your powers also. But for right now We--I--want to use your powers to revive a woman named Martel."

The older Feral mutely nodded her head, "I see. You do realize that reviving someone comes with a cost, don't you?"

Genis gulped audibly, "Y-yes I know. I don't know what it is, but I--"

"--we're," Mithos butted in, nodding his head at Genis to continue.

"--_we're_ willing to risk it."

The Older Feral's eyes narrowed, "So this woman is of importance to you both? Is she the same Martel you call a goddess?"

Genis nodded his head.

And the Older Feral looked like she was about to laugh, "Oh god…and you two are together right? How old are you?" she asked, looking at Mithos.

"Why does it matter? But if you must know I'm 4000 years old…exactly."

Feral looked like she was about to laugh, "And you're dating…really…? Heh, I'd call you a pedophile but you look like a fourteen year old."

_'Not like either of us should talk. We're much older than we appear to be.' _

The older Feral nodded her head, "Yes, I suppose we are. If you want when we were split we'd be twenty four now, but if you want when we were created we're just as old as Old Man Maxwell."

"So Maxwell _was_ created first?" Sheena asked and both Feral's nodded. Sheena shook her head, "No wonder he looks so old."

"He's the Summon Spirit of Birth. Naturally he'd be created first. When we were one, at the beginning, we would've had to be created at the same time. Since birth and death are technically equal in their own rights." The Older Feral nodded her head, as if agreeing with herself.

"Then why were you split?" I asked. Now I was really fascinated by this.

Both Feral's turned to Genis, _'You can tell her can't you?' _The younger Feral questioned and Genis just nodded.

"Yeah sure." He smiled at me and pointed to the older Feral, "You're the side of death that is caused from war or…other violent…um…things that happen during life. And you," He pointed to the younger Feral, "Are the death that comes naturally or by disease. You both were together once because you really didn't _need_ to be separate. Because I guess the world used to be peaceful. As odd as that sounds now."

The older Feral nodded her head, "Yes that's true. Only recently we were able to split because our former Master allowed it. His Great Grandfather before him suggested against it in his will that he left him, but he went against it. And I'm glad he did." She smirked, "It's hard making sure people actually _die_ my way when I'm arguing with half of myself over if it's right or wrong."

The younger Feral scowled but said nothing.

It still didn't take away from the fact that this whole…conversation…was interesting. I never once doubted that my father was a great man. I knew--or rather read--that he was a smart man. That he had won over the kings trust, and had gotten into Heimdall without a problem. But I never knew he controlled such a power. Though I was against him not telling mother…I doubted it would've helped if she had known.

I shuddered. She could have, out of desperation, ki--

I shook my head. No. I would _not_ think about that. Our mother…wouldn't do that. Genis…Genis is here and is alive. And what's more, he has a _purpose _in life now. I won't think anything differently of it. After all, 'what if's' didn't get anyone anywhere.

"Now are you sure that's your pact?"

I snapped to attention when the older Feral said those words. So Genis was now making his pact official? What would happen after that?

Unfortunately I didn't get to find out. For just a few seconds later--which really felt like minutes since everything seemed to move in slow motion--a powerful surge of black magic hurled towards Genis just as he almost said yes.

"Watch out!"

Genis was pushed aside as Mithos got hit by the blunt of the attack.

"Mithos! Are you…are you okay?!"

Mithos nodded his head as April rushed over to heal him. I turned around quickly only to see Mitosu and Jiniasu standing in the doorway.

"You really thought we would just leave you alone?" Mitosu asked with a smirk on his face. His eyes, I noticed, were turning from an amber shade to…to red. Did they always do that before he went into battle? What caused the change?

I shook my head to clear these thoughts. He was our enemy. I couldn't think about things like that. I couldn't let my interests get in the way in battle. I readied my staff and glared at them. Everyone else around me got into fighting stance as well.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" Lloyd shouted, "You already _lost_. Genis just made the _pact_."

"We can still try can't we?" Jiniasu stated with a shrug, "I mean, we can just kidnap Genis and it'd all be over with." Then he smirked, "After all I'd like to get to know my other self a bit better."

I glanced back at Genis briefly and saw him glaring daggers at his look-alike.

His look-alike just laughed, "And he's fiesty too!"

"Neo would get _sooo_ mad at you if you're really implying…what you're implying." Seiji cried out, running up behind the two boys. She had a black chain around her arm. Wait…that was Pronyma's…

"Well it took you long enough to get rid of the body, Seiji." Jiniasu stated, now smirking at his sister.

She scowled, "Well decapitating her _was_ fun. And I needed the practice since I haven't had the chance to train with _my_ rightful weapon in a while."

So those chains were originally hers? Then how did Pronyma…?

"Let's cut to the chase and get this over with." Mitosu said, "which means you two stop talking and you hand over your…boyfriend…" his expression immediately turned to a sickened one.

But Jiniasu only smirked, his one good eye glinting in a way that made me wonder. What exactly had happened to make them both know about Mithos and Genis being together? Come to think of it--no! Thinking wasn't as important as protecting my brother!

"Hell no you aren't getting Genis!" Lloyd shouted before rushing towards the two.

His attack was easily deflected though, as Jiniasu held out his pendant-like weapon. The bat wings were spread like they had been that one time back in Exire, but this time the…the cross on the shield was glowing.

"Heh, physical attacks like that can't penetrate this shield. So sorry, you'll have to try another--OWW! Shit Mitosu why'd you _hit me_?!" He glared at the dark haired teen next to him, rubbing his head as Mitosu shieled the…flame…like…sword he had in his right hand.

"That's for talking to much."

"Wha--?"

"RAY!"

I flinched and whirled around in time to see Mithos cast the spell and, turning back around to face Mitosu and Jiniasu, I saw the beams of light crashing down onto the shield. It didn't look like it affected the shield but Mitosu looked worried.

So the shield was weak against magic. That was a good sign for us. But how much longer could that shield hold up? I was still weak from being hurt…and I couldn't waist my energy on magic casting. April didn't know any techniques except healing ones--that I knew of anyway.

So all that left us with in terms of light magic was Kratos, Zelos, Mithos, and possibly Genis since he could use that one light attack.

This was wonderful…really it was…

-------------------------------------------

Genis' POV

I leaned in closer as Mithos whispered in my ear, "I know of a combination attack we can do! I'll use Ray and you can use Eruption, or any of the other attacks like that!"

I nodded my head, "O-okay…" I never really did a combination attack before. But if Mithos said it was possible then…why not?

I closed my eyes, mumbling the words for the eruption spell under my breath, hoping that the others would block me--which they did--and suddenly, right no time, we both shouted out our attacks.

"RAY!"

"ERUPTION!"

Then…something…happened. Mithos grabbed my hand and smiled at me. I felt the swell of mana in my body and his flowing out…and then we both called out at the same time--Mithos raising his free hand and me raising my Kendama:

"PRISM STARS!"

And, in a flash of light, millions of stars came crashing down into the shield. I…I didn't think it would work. But to my surprise…

It did.

"Shi--"

Mitosu whacked Jiniasu on the back of the head again.

"Oww crap!" he closed his eyes again and his weird pendant thing lit up again.

"Dammit get the pendant away from him!" Someone, I'm not sure which one of us, shouted.

_'Genis?'_

I jumped when I felt Feral's hand on my arm. I turned to her and she smiled, _'May I be of assistance?'_

I gulped, "Wh-what are you going to do?"

She smiled, _'I'm not as bad as my other self,' _she pointed to the other Feral who was looking quite bored, _'but I _can_ do at least a little. For instance I can break his shield easier than you can with that attack. After all we don't want you running out of mana.' _

I nodded my head, "Y-yeah okay. Anything that can help get this fight over with is appreciated."

Feral nodded her head, _'Yes that's…that's so true. And you know?' _

"Huh?"

She smirked, _'I _really_ hate interruptions.' _

------------------------------------------

**Me: **-yawn- you…really do have a sense of humor.

**Feral: **Ha-ha very funny.

**Me: **Well you do.

**Feral: -**grumbles-

**April: **-yawn- oh? D-Did I fall asleep?! What happened?!

**Feral: **An interruption.

**April: **-blink- huh?

**Me: **Don't worry about it. Well, anyway here's the chapter…you see the review button…so please review! Now I'm going to bed. -yawn- I'm surprised my dad didn't get mad at me for staying up till -looks at clock- 1:30 AM…yikes…


	60. The Revival

**Me: **And…here's Chapter Sixty of TU! And they FINALLY have Mithos in the character…selection thing! Yay!

**Feral: **Yes, it took a while now didn't it…?

**Me:** Eh-heh-heh…yeah but at least he's counted as a character now

**To Understand: Part Sixty**

**The Revival**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**Alaia Skyhawk: **Yes Feral hates interruptions. Who doesn't? Well you'll only get to see a bit of fighting in this chapter since it's more focused around Martel's revival…but yeah. Enjoy!

**Lyurii: **Yup I heard the OVA was out now. I actually downloaded it with the subs so I can watch it at any time. And Genis _does_ look adorable. I just wonder how they're going to fit it all in 4 episodes. I hope we can see Sheena, Zelos and the others soon…but yeah, anyway here's the next chapter--enjoy!

**Some-Random-Reviewer: **Eh-heh-heh thank you! And thanks for the review!

**Viaroura Fox: **Well you could say Mitosu doesn't like Jiniasu…but their hate is more like a brotherly thing…in a way…I guess. Gah at times like this I wish I could give spoilers but I can't unless you want them. Ah, well here's the next chapter—enjoy!

**LittleLinor: **Yup it worked, I got your review. Prism stars works with...um...I think any element attack (except any of the first attacks you learn) as long as Genis is a T-Type. I dunno I'll go check the game manual when I have time (more like right after this). Yeah Feral does have a way with words...sometimes. Well here's TU 60--enjoy!

**Feral: **So now all that's left to do is revive Martel, right?

**Me: **Right.

**Feral: **Okay then…Harmony283…ah…you already know so I don't have to say it.

**Authors Note: **That's…true…I guess. Now in this chapter, after the fight with Mitosu, Jiniasu, and Seiji is over all that's left is to revive Martel. But will it really work? And what's the payment for bringing her back? Will Genis and Mithos be willing enough to pay it?

**Feral: **Obviously yes…duh.

**Me:**…

------------------------------------

Mithos' POV

I slipped my hand once more so that it was holding Genis'. I entwined our fingers and smiled down at him as he looked back up at me. He was smiling too but he looked worn out. I turned my gaze back to the Feral--the younger Feral--as she broke down the barrier surrounding Mitosu and Jiniasu with ease.

"Goddammit that's not fair!" Jiniasu whined, making me smirk. Who knew Feral could be so useful? Especially--

"Mithos…"

I turned back to Genis, he was holding his head and glaring at Feral, who was glaring back at him.

"What?"

"You said something mean didn't you? Feral told me to tell you that she _is_ useful and now I have a headache." My eyes widened at this, "A headache?" Genis looked confused for a moment, but then he seemed to get it, "Ah, not a bad headache. I don't think I can get those anymore."

I almost sighed in relief, but of course I couldn't. The enemy--well, more like Seiji--popped up right in front of us and…

Why do girls always hit harder than guys? I really…really can't feel my nose…and it actually _hurt_. That's saying a lot since I still have my Cruxis Crystal on.

"Hmph, you're so _weak_." She taunted, grinning at us. I just groaned and got up from my crouched position on the ground, "Yeah, yeah, say what you want." I lifted my hand and in an instant a sword made of light--the same sword I had used against Mitosu--appeared in my hand.

"Oh now that's impressive." Seiji smirked, "Unfortunately light isn't my weakness as it is my brother's and Mitosu's."

I smirked right back at her, "Well that doesn't mean it won't hurt if I hit you with it." My smirk widened as I saw the look of fear in her eyes. She then teleported away, back to where Mitosu and Jiniasu were.

"That makes sense…"

I turn to look at Genis, "What makes sense?" Genis smiled up at me, "The fact that she says that her weakness isn't light. Which means she can't control dark magic like Mitosu and Jiniasu. That means that she can't use that chain around her waist." My eyes widened at this and I smiled back, "You really are…perceptive to these things." Then again I should've figured that out too but…

"Ugh...!"

I turned around quickly and saw Jiniasu on his knees, holding his stomach. Lloyd had somehow managed to get to him when the barrier was down but…but I doubted that he could've made a wound that deep when both of his swords were on the ground next to him.

Mitosu leaned down next to him, touching his arm, "Dammit don't tell me…" he trailed off and shook his head from side to side, "You've been fighting when you're wounded. I should've expected as much after a visit with Neo." He looked back at us, "Well it looks like we have to leave." He slipped an arm around Jiniasu's waist and looked over at Seiji, who had picked up Jiniasu's pendant from the ground, "We're leaving."

She just nodded her head.

Before any of us could really do anything they were gone.

"Wh-what…? Did we just win…?" Lloyd asked, looking a bit shocked. Zelos walked over to him and patted his head, "Not officially no, since they weren't begging for mercy,"

"But at least they're gone now." Raine sighed. She looked over at me and Genis and shook her head, "I'm surprised that you used Prism Stars though."

'_It makes sense though, if you know what combinations make that attack possible.' _Feral stated, appearing next to me. She looked over at Genis, _'Are you ready to make the pact yet?'_

"W-wait a second! It's too soon!" Sheena cried out, "I mean they just left and…"

"That's right," the older Feral said, walking over to the Younger Feral, "They left. We can make the pact now. I'm sure you have enough energy left to at _least_ do that."

Genis nodded his head and stepped forward, "Okay, yeah, I'm ready. But…what exactly do I have to do? Or is it just like how Sheena usually makes her Pacts?" he looked nervous and I couldn't blame him.

The Older Feral let out a long sigh, "How do you _think_ you make the pact? Of _course_ you make it the same way. Just tell us what you want to use our power for and then we'll—or rather whichever one you want to make the pact with—tell you what the price is."

--------------------------------------

Genis' POV

"Price?" I asked, looking up at the older Feral. I never heard anything about a price before. Feral could've warned me about it…

'_Of course, there's always a price for bringing back the dead, like you want.' _Feral stated, placing a hand on my arm, _'I'm sorry I forgot to mention it earlier, but I really couldn't.'_

"Heh yeah, whatever. Okay then," I closed my eyes and let out a long breath, "the one I want to make the pact with is the younger Feral," I opened my eyes and looked over at her, she nodded her head smiling.

"How did I know you were going to pick her," the Older Feral rolled her eyes, "And to think, if you had waited just a _bit_ longer I would've been in control…but with no one to control me. Dang it." She didn't look too happy but...well…I guess in this case that was a good thing.

She glared at me, "Since when was someone being unhappy a good thing?"

'_Well,'_ Feral stepped in front of me, _'When it's you, and considering what you would do if you _were_ in control…I'd say you being unhappy is a really good thing.' _

The older Feral opened her mouth to say something back, but she seemed to catch herself and instead she let out a long sigh, "just get the pact over with."

Feral turned to me and nodded her head, _'She has a point. We do need to hurry. I can tell you're getting weary…you still aren't fully healed and you still have your wings out, which must hurt.' _

I looked back at my wings, "Ah…you're right…I do…I didn't even notice."

She shrugged, _'of _course_ you didn't. Now then…are you ready?'_

I nodded my head, "Yeah…or at least as ready as I'll ever be. Okay," I took another deep breath, "Feral I want your power in order to help revive Martel. I want you…to bring back her old body."

Feral nodded her head and closed her eyes, _'I understand. That request can be granted.' _When she opened her eyes I gasped in shock. They were…a beautiful shade of clear blue…almost like the color the sky used to be…

"Yes that wish can be granted," the older Feral walked—or floated—over to the younger Feral, "But now for the price. You do realize bringing anyone back from the dead—even _if_ it's just their body—requires…a lot of Mana? And it could even mess up the flow of time depending on who we bring back. In this case, since I'm assuming Martel is as old as you," she looked over briefly at Yuan, "then it won't exactly affect the time flow any. Though the fact that you," now she was looking at Mithos, "made her into a goddess…she'll have a few things to get used to…"

"Then she'll get used to them," Mithos said with a confident smirk on his face, "She always gets used to things quickly." Yuan and Kratos nodded their head's in agreement to this.

The Older Feral sighed, "Well if the time gap really isn't a problem…then…well," she shook her head, "on with the price. Now the price won't be as high as if you asked her to come back for real, but it's still pretty high."

I nodded my head, "I understand that. What _is_ it?"

"It's simple. And to make it even simpler, I'll have Mithos help you with it," she smirked, "All Mithos has to do is make up for the sin he's atoned for. And you, Genis, have to help him."

That…that was supposed to be _easy_?

The older Feral's smirk widened.

'_Do you accept this task, Genis? Because if you don't you can't properly make the pact.' _

I gulped, "Ah, yes of course I accept it." I nodded my head firmly, "Yeah I definitely do."

"Genis! Do you even know what you're getting yourself into?!" Raine asked, sounding shocked.

I nodded my head, "I'll be fine." I turned to look at Mithos, "You understand too, don't you?" he nodded his head, "Yeah I get it. I was going to atone for my sins anyway…but now the only difference is you're forcing me to do it or else Martel pays for it." He looked down at his feet and sighed, "In a way it makes perfect sense. Since I committed those sins in order to bring her back to life."

"Fine then. Genis, close your eyes."

I blinked, flinching at the harsh tone of the older Feral's voice. But I complied. I had a distinct feeling that this might hurt…but if it brings Martel back for Mithos' sake then it's worth it.

Okay yeah even thinking _that _didn't help when I felt a jolt of…it felt like ice but it was much more painful. It felt like something was opening up…and it also felt like…like something was being sealed—or cut off—from me. The same dark feeling I had from before, when I took that black aura away from the mirror piece back when I killed Pronyma, seemed to surround me. It was so friendly now…and it was acting like it wanted to get to know me.

I flinched when it touched me, it was…so cold…but…

I squeezed my eyes shut tighter when I felt the dark feeling seep into me. Then I heard it, something faint, it sounded like music…

'_Genis open your eyes!' _

I slowly opened them, and looked around. I was…I was…

Did it work?

"Genis! Are you okay?!" I blinked a few times, realizing now that I was laying on the ground with my head in Mithos' lap. He was holding the flute I gave him in one hand and was touching my forehead with the other. I tried to smile but I felt too numb. Instead I tried to tell him by meeting his eyes with my own. He let out a sigh of relief when I did.

"Is…is he…o-okay…? He isn't talking…" Raine was to the left of me. I wanted to turn my head to see her, but my neck felt too stiff.

'_He's fine.'_ Feral said from, I'm assuming, right next to Mithos. I couldn't see her though, _'you might feel a little numb for a while. But you'll be able to move in a few minutes…at most.' _

I wanted to nod my head, but of course I couldn't. So I just laid there, waiting for at least some feeling to come back. Thankfully my waiting paid off. In about five minutes—I think, it felt like much longer than that—I could sit up without any help.

The first thing I did though, was look around. I noticed vaguely that…that there was someone…in Yuan's arms.

Wait.

Did it…it had to have, _'Did it work?' _

Feral answered me, _'Yes it did. You…you were much weaker than we thought. I'm surprised you didn't pass out.' _

I smiled, "Martel is…?"

Mithos smiled back at me, "Yeah, her body's here. You formed the pact. Thank you." He leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips. I kissed him back and he pulled me so that I was sitting on his lap. And then, to my surprise, when he broke a way he picked me up.

"Wha—Mithos put me down!"

Zelos and Lloyd started to laugh.

"It's not funny put me down!" Now I was embarrassed. Mithos was grinning and that just creeped me out.

'_You know there's something you can say to make him put you down. He won't like it though, and Raine might get mad.' _Feral said in my head.

"_And what would that be?" _I thought back.

'_Oh it'll come to you!'_

And it did…eventually. It came right after Mithos started tickling me.

"Let me go pervert!"

And after I said that Mithos nearly dropped me.

"I'm not a pervert!"

I shook my head from side to side, "No you aren't but it worked." I looked over at Feral, who winked at me, "Thanks Feral."

I noticed that the older Feral was gone, but really I probably should've been expecting that since I initially made the pact with the younger Feral. I turned to look over at Yuan and Martel's body. I smiled, "Okay then, let's revive Martel."

"And then we can worry about what do next."

"You're always worrying about what to do next, aren't you Raine?"

Raine's eyes narrowed, "Yes well _someone_ has to." Regal nodded his head in agreement to this.

"Yeesh I was just sayin, you're acting like you have needles stuck in your back," Zelos said with a hesitant laugh, "I mean c'mon…lighten up a bit. We can revive Martel now, and the brat—Genis—is okay."

"The Chosen does have a point," Yuan murmured, "now let's hurry and get to the Great Seed."

We nodded our heads and quickly walked out of the room, letting Yuan lead the way. He was desperate to see Martel again and, in some ways, I'm sure he's looking forward to this even more than Mithos is. The fact that he hadn't found anyone else in the four thousand plus years he's been alive must mean that Martel was the one for him.

True love.

'_How sickeningly sweet. Just like you and Mithos.' _This caught me off guard and I glared at Feral, who was walking alongside me. She smirked, _'Well you _know_ I'm right,' _

Mithos—who was walking on the other side of me—turned to her, "What?"

She smiled at him, _'Oh nothing.' _

Mithos looked at me, "What did she say?"

I shrugged, "We're like Yuan and Martel."

He looked over at Yuan and Martel, "Ah…really? Which one's Yuan and which one's Martel?"

That's a good question….

'_Genis is Martel, you're Yuan.' _

I blushed, "Feral stay out of this!"

She smirks even more, _'Fine, fine Master.'_

I shudder, "And don't call me Master it's creepy."

_'Then what should I call you?' _she asked, sounding generally confused and interested.

I let out a sigh, "How about calling me by my _name_?"

_'Oh…okay then, Genis.' _She suddenly smirked again, _'Though that still doesn't change the fact that you would be what Martel is to Yuan.' _

This made me blush even more and I would've said something in response but we were now climbing the staircase towards the huge double doors and…Pronyma's body wasn't there. I sighed in relief as Kratos pulled open the large double doors and we made our way through. Though it still disturbed me that those three--that Mitosu, Jiniasu, and Seiji--would take Pronyma's body but leave the more than obvious blood stains on the ground.

We stepped onto a weird-looking warp ring and arrived in what looked to be a throne room. And there, floating in the center of the room, was Martel…or…or at least it was the Great Seed with Martel's Cruxis Crystal attached to it.

But I saw a hologram-like Martel floating above it. Was that her spirit or…? She noticed us and gasped when she saw her body in Yuan's arms. She floated down to touch her body and the recoiled. Then she looked at Feral who merely nodded her head and smiled.

_'Now it's time, isn't it Genis?' _Feral asks me and I nod my head. I turn to Mithos and he shrugs the bag he had been carrying off his shoulders. He opens it and searches through it briefly for the special Key-crest we had made. He pulls it out and hands it to me. Then he looks up at the Great Seed, "So now we have to take the Cruxis Crystal from it…but…"

_'I'll do it.' _Feral murmurs, disappearing briefly before reappearing in front of the great seed. She quickly takes the Cruxis Crystal and disappears once more, reappearing this time right next to Martels body. I place the Key Crest against her skin--my hands shaking as I did so--and watch as Feral places the Cruxis Crystal inside of it.

Then Martel's body begins glowing. For a moment it's nearly blinding, I had to shut my eyes and turn away. But as I did I felt a hand on my shoulder, _'Thank you.' _A voice whispers in my ear before…before…

The light immediately goes out and for a second I wonder what's going on. Then I hear Raine call out, "Genis!" before everything around me went black.

-------------------------------------

Mithos' POV

I barely reacted in time when I felt Genis falling. I managed to catch him at the last minute, when the light from my sister's body--or the Cruxis Crystal, I couldn't tell--died down. When I looked at his face he was extremely pale, well, pal_er_ than he normally was. This had me worried.

_'Don't worry, he's just reached his limit for now.' _I turned to face Feral, she was looking over Genis with a knowing look in her eyes, _'He might be our new Master…but that doesn't mean he's capable of using me that much. He doesn't have enough stamina to, with or without his Exsphere.' _

"I-I see…okay." I looked over at Martel. She wasn't waking up. I looked back at Feral, "Will she wake up soon?"

_'Martel will wake up soon, yes. Now wasn't there something else you,'_ she looked over at Lloyd, who looked slightly surprised, _'needed to do?' _she pointed back at the Great Seed and Lloyd seemed to get it.

"Ah right," he stood up, looking at the Great Seed, "But how do I--eh?" Suddenly his swords began glowing. I held Genis closer to me as the two swords turned into one--the Eternal Blade. Lloyd held it up then and closed his eyes, "…Please restore this world to the way it was!"

In a flash we were outside in a barren field some ways off from the destroyed Tower of Salvation. The sky was no longer purple but…I could tell something was wrong.

"The…tree…"

I gasped and whirled around to look at Martel. She was still in Yuan's arms, and she didn't seem to be moving. But she had spoken.

"What?"

_"She is right."_ Origin stated suddenly and, shortly afterwards, the Summon Spirits appeared before us, _"The World is restored, like you wished. But it has no link."  
_

"Link?" Lloyd asked, looking confused.

_"Yes link. The Great Kharlan Tree was used as a Link. But now it's just a seed. If it continues to stay just as a seed it will wither and die, as will this world." _

Well that wasn't good. And it was expected.

"What?! How do we fix it? How do we make it so that it can support--"

_"Use the Eternal Sword."_

Hmm…that might just work but.

"Okay!" Lloyd shouted enthusiastically, holding the sword up once more.

"Lloyd, wait." He looked over at me, "Even I probably couldn't provide a link to the two worlds--especially using the Great Seed. Besides, it's almost out of orbit." Lloyd's face paled but he still held firm.

He really _didn't_ know when to give up. Not that I wanted him to give up but…

"I'll still try! Please, Great Seed--awaken!"

A few minutes passed and then something happened…the sword…it…it started glowing. For a second I thought it actually worked--

but the sword disappeared.

"Wh-what…? Damn, is it too far away…?" Lloyd closed his eyes and clenched his fist, "No. I'm _not_ giving up." Suddenly the exsphere on his hand started to glow and, in a flash of light, a pair of large rainbow colored wings sprouted from his back.

"Gah!" he cried out, collapsing onto the ground. Zelos immediately went to his side and helped him stand. Lloyd clenched his fist even tighter, "Wh…What the _hell_?" He asked, looking at his wings. He then looked up in the air, "Dammit! I don't have time to worry about how or why I have wings--Zelos help me out here."

Zelos mutely nodded his head and, in a split second his wings were out as well and they flew together up so far up that we couldn't see them.

What felt like an eternity passed before something happened. That something was Genis waking up. He looked up at me through half-lidded eyes and smiled, "The mana…it's…they did it didn't they?" I faintly wondered how he knew what was going on but didn't question it as Feral only nodded her head.

They must still have a connection even now that she's free.

But Genis was right the mana seemed to be swelling from where we were. It was an amazing feeling, I don't think I _ever_ felt this much mana while on the surface before.

"Yeah…" Genis murmured, leaning his head against my chest, "They did it. Watch." He pointed in the direction of the Tower of Salvation and, in a brilliant display, a bright beam--more like wave--of light shot out form both directions and I could've sworn I saw something floating downing from the sky…

A few more minutes passed in silence before we saw both Lloyd and Zelos flying towards us. Lloyd smiled and waved and, naturally, those who could waved back. They landed in front of us and Lloyd's smile just grew, "We did it!" He said, turning to look at Zelos, who nodded his head.

Everyone sighed in relief and a few more minutes of peaceful silence passed between us. Finally Raine spoke up, "The world is finally one like it was in the beginning."

"Yeah, now I can move to Sylvarant with my people." Sheena said with a smile on her face, "hopefully we can live in peace now."

"Yeah, hopefully." Genis said, smiling too. He tried to sit up only to wince. He tried again and, with my help, succeeded, "But now I think we need to get to a city or a town...or something. I really don't feel good. And Martel..."

Everyone nodded their heads.

"Okay then! Which way to the nearest town?"

Zelos pointed off to the east, "That way I think. Ooh! And then we can go to Altimira to celebrate!"

Sheena sighed, "I can't believe I'm agreeing with you but this is something we should celebrate…right?"

"yeah!" Colette agreed, "The world's safe now!"

"Why not?" Raine muttered, though she didn't look too happy.

Everyone else just agreed.

"Okay then," Lloyd punched the air with his hand, "Let's go!"

-------THE END------

**Me: **-sniff- That's…the end! I feel like crying I'm so happy! This is my first ever really successful fanfic. And it's one of my first! Oh yes, and just for the record, I've been on FF for year as of yesterday (the 17th)!

**Feral: **Tears of happiness. How…fitting. But you still have the Epilog to do, don't you?

**Me: **Yeah!And guess what? I'm already finished with it! So R&R and the more reviews I get the more likely a chance I'll upload it! Now all that's left is a little oneshot that goes after this called, I think, TU-Interlude. After that then it's TU:RooS!


	61. Epilog: One Year Later

**Me: **And here's the epilog! It would've been up yesterday (because I felt like uploading it yesterday) but FF wasn't working so...here it is!

**April: **-nods head- yes your computer doesn't like you very much does it?

**Me: **Well it does have issues...but it's not as bad as it could be. Now on with the chapter!

**To Understand: Part Sixty-one**

**One Year Later**

**By Harmony283**

**Reviews:**

**LittleLinor: **Yes the technique for getting Mithos to let go...it really does work. -nods head- And don't worry, you'll see a bit of Martel before Genis and Mithos head to Reti'thera. You'll see it in TU:Interlude. Now then here's officially the last chapter of TU! Enjoy!

**DraNKa: **Eh-heh-heh yes it's only part one. I'm glad that my fanfic helped you like OC's...since there're going to be a lot of them in the sequel. And yes the price thing...it's very important. How important? You'll just have to wait and see now here's the epilog, enjoy!

**Chiyanaski: **Yes I know who you are (I saw the name change when I was copying reviews once). Yes Pronyma is dead, and yes Martel is now alive. I'm glad you liked TU so much and hopefully you'll read the sequel as well

**Alaia Skyhawk: **Yeah I know it was a bit fast. I just couldn't really think of anything to write really for the chapter. And trust me the last chapter was edited like twice, and this was the version I went with. And here's th epilog! Enjoy!

**April: **So this is officially the last chapter of TU? And it's a fast update too

**Me: **Yeah I think it is in terms of fast updates. Even with FF not working yesterday I still got it out in record time...

**April: **Well at least you know you stayed up so late for a reason. Now then, as you all know, Harmony283 doesn't own Tales of Symphonia. She hasn't for the past sixty chapters so why would she own it now?

**Authors Note: **true, true. Now then, as the title says, this takes place one year after the two worlds were reunited. How is everyone doing…and why is Genis in a Katz suit? What does Zelos have to do with this? And why is Pronyma's spirit haunting Genis? What does she want?

**April: **Pronyma makes a cameo appearance in this eh? And so does an OC that will be appearing in the sequel, right?

**Me: **-nods head- yes that's true. Oh yeah...

**Warning: **Underaged Drinking and Fluffy-ness

---------------------------------

Genis' POV

The sun shone brightly in the sky as we made our way down the dirt pathway to my hometown of Iselia. I smile and close my eyes, letting the sunshine warm my face. After traveling to a place like Flanoir I was glad to be in the sun again. I let out a content sigh and open my eyes to look at the others in our group.

Raine was taking the lead, fumbling with the collar of her shirt, which was light blue with the elven symbol for 'healer' etched into the fabric on one of the sleeves. She held her staff in her left hand as she walked along the road, rolling small rocks out of the way by hitting them with the end of her staff or with her foot.

April was walking next to her, her pale pink dress blowing lightly in the small breeze of wind that had seemed to follow us here. Her hair was held back with a pair of unique wing-shaped hair clips.

I looked next to me, at Mithos. He was staring blankly ahead, pushing some of his hair behind his slightly pointed ears whenever the wind blew it in his face. His eyes, a brilliant shade of turquoise that I could still get lost in when I looked into them, were clouded over in thought. He hadn't changed much in the past year…well, except for his outfit. Instead of the red shirt and black pants he had adorned back then, he now had a white shirt with a purple stripe running across it, cutting the white fabric off from the netting that made up the top half of his shirt. His pants were still black but they had a kind of circular pattern on one side **(1)**.

Me? Well I got an outfit change too. Instead of the baggy long-sleeved shirt I had before I now had a sleeveless baby-blue shirt with a hood and black shorts.**(2) **I honestly didn't need to change my outfit though, but since we had been traveling through Sylvarant--and it was summer--I wanted something a bit cooler to wear.

"There it is!" Raine called out, pointing down the path a ways. I followed where she was pointing and smiled. I could see the entrance to Iselia. It had definitely grown since the last time we were there. Then again that was to be expected. It was peaceful now, meaning it was only natural that they'd want to expand.

"Do you think we'll be one of the first people there?" I ask and Raine nods her head, "I don't see why we shouldn't be. We were already close enough when we got that letter from Sheena. You know she's been in Iselia for a while helping out with things. She's also been keeping Colette company. I'm pretty sure Lloyd and Zelos are back as well."

I nodded my head, "So all we're really waiting for are Yuan, Martel, Regal, and Presea?" Raine nodded her head, "Yes apparently.

_'Genis.' _

I blinked and gasped as I felt Feral appear next to me. Both April and Raine stopped and turned to face us. April smiled, "Feral? What are you doing here?"

Feral shook her head, _'I just wanted to get some fresh air. I hope you don't mind.' _

I shrugged, "I don't care. Sure. Just, when we get to town, don't scare any of the kids okay?"

She glared at me and I shrugged, "Well you _are_ a bit scary…especially when you glare at people like that."

She immediately stopped glaring and turned to look down the road, _'Fine I'll behave.' _And she actually sounded like she _meant_ it. Though that scared me somewhat, since even though I technically control her she acts more like I'm her brother, which means she may _say_ she'll behave but she doesn't mean it.

_'But I do mean it.' _She shot back, glaring at me again. I flinch.

"what'd she say?" Mithos asked, obviously noticing my flinch. I just shrugged it off, "It's okay." I look back at her, she _really_ needs to learn when to tell me when only I can hear her, or when everyone can hear her.

_'don't worry,' _she smirks, _'you'll get it eventually. It took your father a while to figure it out as well.' _her eyes narrow, _'but I'll tell you now, they can't hear me. I'm making it so they can't because of a certain something I want to talk to you about.' _

I faintly nod my head, and everyone seems to understand she wants to talk with just me. So they turn back around and we continue walking.

_'What I want to talk to you about, Genis, is the fact that…that a spirit has been following you.' _Well that's surprising. She shakes her head, _'And it's not just any spirit either. It…I can't be too certain, but it might be the spirit of Pronyma. I-I don't know why she's following you but I can feel that, for whatever reason she's following you for, it's urgent. I think if she catches up to us, which she will if we stop in Iselia, you'll have to listen to her.' _

I sighed, thinking, _"Have to? Or will?" _

Feral shook her head, _'does it matter? All I know is that it's urgent so it must be important. Meaning if you don't listen to her she'll probably make you.' _Her eyes narrowed, _'don't underestimate the dead. They sometimes know a lot more than you do.' _

I nodded my head, _"I'll keep that in mind."_

_'Okay,'_ Feral smiled, _'Well then, I've said what I needed to say to you so…how long do we have until we get to Iselia?'_

Raine turned to look over her shoulder at Feral, "We should be there in a few minutes."

I looked straight ahead, the Entry way to Iselia was…literally…right in front of us. We could see the guards. One waved to us and called out, "They're here!"

A few seconds passed and suddenly Lloyd appeared. He grinned and waved at us, as did Zelos--who appeared right behind him. We quickened our pace until we reached them. Lloyd smiled and immediately pulled me into a hug, "It's great to see you again Genis!" he patted me on the head, "Heh, you really haven't grown that much though."

I scowled, and would've said something but Mithos cut me off, "So? He's cute just the way he is. Even _if_ he's short. It just makes him cuter." I blushed as he pulled me into a hug, nuzzling his face in my hair. Lloyd just smiled at this, and oddly enough Zelos didn't say anything.

Though the fact that he now had a smirk on his face really was starting to bug me.

"Hello Lloyd, Zelos," Raine walked up to stand next to us, "Is anyone else here?" Lloyd nodded his head, "Yeah, Sheena's here, she's helping Colette with lunch. Yuan and Martel are here too. They were talking to Dirk about something. And I think Presea and Regal will be coming later on. Either that or it may just be Presea coming since Regal apparently has so much paper work to do. I mean he just recently became the head of his company again."

"I see, well, that's to be expected. If you don't mind, though, I'd like to put my things up at home for a bit and then we can meet with everyone."

Lloyd scowled, "I don't think that's gonna happen."

And he was right.

"Professor! Genis, Mithos, April! You're here already?!" Colette cried out, running up to us, "What great timing! Do you want something to drink? Sheena just made some Lemon Tea and it's really good."

Raine opened her mouth, obviously to tell her what she told Lloyd, but April butted in, "Lemon Tea? Of course I'd love some. Wouldn't you Raine? We've been traveling for a few hours straight without stopping for water, it would be nice to have something to drink."

Raine let out a sigh, "Fine, fine. Yes I would love some, Colette." The blond smiled and ran back towards her house…but she tripped after running a few feet.

"Gah! Colette are you okay?" Lloyd ran over to her and helped her up.

"I-I'm okay. Eh-heh-heh I guess I just need to watch where I'm going." Colette laughed, smiling up at Lloyd, who merely shook his head.

"I guess somethings don't change. Colette's just as clumsy as when we last saw her." Mithos remarked, letting go of me but keeping one arm firmly around my waist. I nodded my head, "Yeah. But then again that's Colette for ya. Heh, it'd be odd if she changed that much in just a year."

"Mm yeah you're right. Why don't we go get something to drink too?" he looked down at me curiously.

I smiled, "Yeah that sounds good. April's right, we really _have_ been traveling non-stop for the past few hours…no…since we woke up this morning."

I walked forward, intent on following Raine and April, but Feral stopped me, _'Genis it's Pronyma she's getting closer. You might want to speak with her soon. I don't think either of you would appreciate the other's company for too long.' _

I sighed silently, _"Yeah I know Feral. I'll…I'll go after I get something to drink and talk with everyone for a while." _

Feral nodded her head, _'Okay then, well, I'm out of here. I don't feel like going into town yet.' _

I nodded my head and she disappeared.

I turned back to look at Mithos, who was…talking with Zelos? And Zelos still had that smirk on his face.

"Hey Mithos c'mon!" I called out and he immediately looked over at me. His cheeks were lightly tinted pink and there was an unusual spark in his eyes but he nodded his head anyway and hurried to catch up to me. When he was standing next to me I glared back at Zelos before asking, "What did he say? You looked embarrassed."

Mithos looked away from me, "Ah…it's…it's nothing Genis. Don't worry about it." I glared at him and he flinched, "Fine I won't tell you _now_ I'll tell you later okay? Besides, where'd Feral go?"

He was trying to change the subject…I could tell there was a reason. And I really wanted to know what Zelos had said. But…he did say he'd tell me later…so…

"She left." I shrugged, "She said she didn't wanna go into town just yet."

"Really? That's odd, she acted like she wanted to earlier." He looked down at me, "Is something wrong? I mean, she was talking to just you earlier and she normally doesn't do that."

I shrugged again, "She thinks…" I stopped, "Ah…I'll tell you later." I smirked when I saw the annoyed expression on his face, "Well you deserve it. Since you won't tell me what Zelos said."

A pale pink color dusted over Mithos' cheek's at the mentioning of what Zelos said, "You…" he leaned in closer to me, dropping his voice down to a whisper, "You'll figure that out," he traced a finger along my ear, "later."

I blushed at the tone of his voice. I glanced back at Zelos who was still grinning. Though now I was even more afraid…and…well…

"Mithos you said you weren't as bad as Zelos." I muttered, feeling my face heat up at all the…things…that Zelos could've said to Mithos ran through my mind. Now Mithos was the one to grin, "Well we're finally somewhere where we can have our _own_ room."

Well, that was true, "But Raine'll be down the hall with April." Now my mind was stuck on one thing…one thing that Zelos could've said that would make Mithos blush. I let out a sigh, "Does whatever Zelos said have to do with me?"

Mithos shook his head, "Why _wouldn't_ it have anything to do with you?"

I scowled, "Does it have to do with--"

"Genis, Mithos! Hurry up!"

I flinched and turned around, "Yeah coming!" I looked up at Mithos again, "I'll tell you later."

"Mm, okay." Mithos smiled down at me, kissing me on the forehead, "Besides you probably can figure it out," his smile turned to a grin, "since your mind isn't as clean as some people think."

I blushed and followed him wordlessly to Colette's house. About Fifteen minutes later Presea and Regal--a very tired looking Regal--arrived and soon after we were talking about our own journey's and how everyone was doing. Lloyd was in the middle of talking about how they had to steal a bunch of Exsphere's from this mad scientist in Sybak when Feral's voice once more entered my mind.

_'Genis, I can't keep Pronyma away from you anymore. You need to meet her right away.' _

I smiled faintly as Sheena started chasing Zelos around the room. He had obviously said something that I hadn't heard, _"Yeah Feral, I'm coming." _

Thankfully I was sitting right up against the door so all I had to do was slip out without anyone noticing. And oddly enough, I succeeded. Of course I wouldn't have if Mithos had been sitting next to me, but he had been talking with his sister so he hadn't noticed me.

"Feral where are you?" I asked in a low whisper, looking around. The sun was getting lower in the sky--it would almost be dinner time soon. Then tomorrow everyone would leave and the celebration would be over.

_'I'm waiting by the old Church…you know the only church in the area?' _I nodded my head and headed towards that exit. Thankfully no one was guarding that exit--there wasn't really any need to since there weren't really any monsters anymore.

It only took me about five minutes to reach the church, but when I did--after climbing the stairs--I knew something was off. I shivered lightly and looked around. Feral said Pronyma was here so where was she?

_'So you came.' _

I gasped and whirled around. There, standing at the edge of the staircase was Pronyma. She was wearing all black, like she had when she died. The only difference was that her hair was down. I swallowed loudly and nodded my head, "Yeah I came, what do you want?"

_'To tell you something. Don't worry, I can't hurt you. But I have to tell you something that may hurt you.' _She paused, sighing, _'I heard you managed to revive Martel. And I heard about the payment. Do you honestly think you can pay it?' _

I blinked, "Well we've been traveling around to lessen the laws against half-elves. And Mithos has been helping out…so many people. That's good enough isn't it? What else can he _do_?"

Pronyma shook her head, _'Not much…at least he can't do much here in this world. But…in Reti'thera…war is about to break out.' _

"Reti…thera…? Where is that?"

_'It's the alternate universe to this combined world.' _

I froze. Wait…wait a second…

"How do you know about Reti'thera then?"

Pronyma's eyes narrowed, _'Because that's where Mitosu, Jiniasu, and Seiji are from. You _do_ remember them don't you? You remember what they said?' _

I thought back on it. Yes it's been a year but I could still remember some of the events clearly. I shook my head, "Yeah they talked about continents on it and stuff. And I think Mitosu might've mentioned something about it, not to me, but to Mithos maybe. Something about peace…"

_'Yes,' _Pronyma nodded her head, _'Peace here means war in Reti'thera. Peace in Reti'thera means war here.' _I flinched at the coldness in her tone, but she continued, _'Reti'thera needs help. I…I realize what I did wrong. It was wrong of me to join them, but as Forcystus said, my Jealousy gets the better of me sometimes.' _

"You joined them because of jealousy?"

Her eyes narrowed, _'You should know that.' _

I flinched again, "Yeah I guess I should. But can you tell me more about Reti'thera?"

She shook her head, _'Unfortunately with the amount of time the death goddess gave me, no. but I can tell you that, in a year from now another portal will open up to connect this world to Reti'thera. It will be near here. And you, along with Mithos, _have to_ find it. And you have to go through it. If you don't then not only will Martel die because of an incomplete pact, but you won't be filling out your role either.' _

What? My role? I shook my head, "What about my role? I'm Feral's pact."

_'There is a fortuneteller coming by tomorrow. Ask her to read your fortune--or she may already want to when she sees you. You will know then. Now I…I have to go. The Death Goddess here can only stay connected to Feral for so long without sucking her over to our side. Good luck…and tell Mithos I'm sorry.' _

With that she disappeared. And, in her place, stood Feral but…but there was another girl next to her, or behind her, I couldn't tell. She had red hair and vibrant blue eyes. She was wearing a blue dress. Feral gasped out and collapsed onto the ground, causing the other girl to separate from her, then causing her to waver like a hologram, and then causing her to disappear.

"Feral? Feral!" I rushed over to her, only to find that she had fallen asleep. I sighed in relief, "Thank the goddess…eh?" I looked up in the sky and saw Mithos flying towards me with a worried expression on his face. That's when I noticed that the sun had moved even farther down in the sky.

How long had I staid out here?

"Genis! There you are. Your sister was getting worried. Eh? Is Feral okay?" he landed next to me and looked down at Feral. I just nodded my head, "She's fine. I'm sorry for worrying you. Feral just wanted to speak to me, but as you can see, she's asleep."

Mithos nodded his head, "Well…yes…she is. Why don't you come back with me now? Wake Feral up and she can come too. They're serving some really good food now. Apparently Regal decided to help even though he's tired from the travel. They could use some extra help in the kitchen anyway."

I smiled and nodded my head. I touched Feral gently on the shoulder, only to have her mumble a quiet 'let me sleep' in my head before she disappeared. I sighed, "well…I guess we're just going back alone then."

Mithos nodded his head, "Okay then," he smirked, "why don't I carry you?" I blushed at this but let him pick me up anyway. In a matter of minutes we were back in Colette's house, sitting around a fairly large table--I had to wonder where it came from--with various foods covering every ounce of the tables surface.

And I have to admit the food was delicious. I don't think I've had such a good meal in a long time. Of course along with the meal came different kinds of wines. Almost everyone here had a glass with some sort of alcoholic beverage in it. Well…except me and Presea, though Presea was trying some out of Colette's glass--since apparently she didn't like whatever the drink was.

"Hey Genis." I turned to look at Zelos, he had an extra glass of some sort of pink liquid in his hand. He handed it to me, "Here, Raine told me your thirteenth birthday was a few weeks ago. It couldn't hurt to let you try some of this." I looked at him curiously. It was…really odd that he was trying to be nice to me. Though the fact that his cheeks were tinted a light shade of pink made me wonder how much of this stuff he already had. Because he obviously wasn't entirely sober. He noticed me staring and chuckled, "Don't worry it doesn't have that much alcohol in it as some of the other drinks. And it's strawberry flavored."

Well…I guess it wouldn't hurt to try some. I took a sip of the liquid and smiled. It really _did_ taste good. There was a bit of a spice to it, which I'm assuming was the alcohol. But it gave the drink a nice kick to it. I turned to look at Mithos, who was drinking another glass of something purple. He turned to look at me and noticed the glass in my hand. He looked briefly over at Zelos and then back at me before a blush--a blush that I'm sure wasn't there because of the alcohol--spread over his face.

Other than that the rest of the dinner went by without anything unusual happening. Though I have to admit, after having another one of those drinks--yet again given to me by Zelos, as to not rise any suspicion since I'm sure Raine would never let me drink this stuff--I was starting to feel funny. Mithos seemed to be the only one to notice though.

Not long after the dishes were cleared and everyone went off in their own corner of the room to chat, Mithos grabbed me by my shoulder, "I think you've had a bit much to drink for your age." I had another glass of that strawberry drink in my hand and smiled, though it felt weird to, "I…think you're right." He looked concerned and now I felt bad.

Mithos sighed, "I see. Let me take you back to your home, okay? I'm getting kinda tired myself." He looked over at Raine and, after catching her attention, pointed to the door. She nodded her head, as if giving us a silent okay, before going back to talking with Martel, Yuan, and April.

Mithos looked back at me and smiled, "Okay then, let's go."

…and honestly, I'm not too sure what happened after that. I'm not even sure how I really got home. I think I must've _really_ drank too much, so much that I blanked out or something. Because when I woke up I was in my room with a washcloth on my forehead, and Mithos was sitting next to me, looking worried. He smiled when I sat up, "Good you're awake. I was…really worried. You passed out right after we went outside."

"R-really…?" I asked, though my voice sounded foreign to my ears, "Wha…happened?"

"You drank too much." Mithos stated simply, "I had to carry you all the way here."

I blushed, "I-I'm sorry…" I sat up all the way and reached out. But for some reason my limbs weren't working right. I hit something--I'm not sure what--and it spilled all over the bed. It was cold.

"Gah!"

"Genis! Crap I should've moved this." This being a small bowl filled with water. Another wash cloth was in it--well it was now on my bed since I tipped the bowl over--and obviously that's where he had gotten the damp washcloth that was on my forehead, which was now on my lap, from.

I shivered, "Now I'm cold."

Mithos nodded his head, "Well you just had ice water spilled all over you. Um…let me see if you have anything in your closet that you can wear." He hurried over to my closet and searched through it for a second. I watched him thumb through the clothes when suddenly he stopped. He pulled out something that looked _very_ familiar to me.

He turned to face me and he grinned, "how about this? It's warm enough." I couldn't help but blush.

He had found my Katz suit--the one the Katz had given me. I blushed even more when I remembered that one thing that Mithos _really_ seemed to like…or rather…the one thing Mithos just so happened to have a really creepy fetish over.

Katz.

Or rather me dressed up in a Katz suit. I looked down at my soaked shirt, "Um…d-don't I have anything else…?"

Now Mithos was kneeling on the bed next to me, "Please? Can't I just see you in it?"

I blushed at the pleading sound in his voice. Honestly I really wanted to say no--the logical part of my mind was screaming no. But the other side of my brain was yelling yes. I mean…Mithos is my boyfriend after all. Why not?

So I nodded my head, "O-okay…"

"Do you need help though?"

I shook my head, "I think I can change without any help." But he didn't budge. I scowled, "Turn around…pervert."

Mithos immediately blushed at that and whirled around, walking halfway across the room to stare at a picture of me when I was younger.

Well…I have to say it was a bit harder to put on the Katz suit when I was…err…drunk, I guess would be the correct term to use. I wasn't too surprised that it still fit me though. Like Lloyd said, I hadn't really grown much in the past year.

When I was finished changing I called out, "Okay you can turn around now." And I swear I would never forget the look on Mithos face as he saw me. I could tell, just by the look in his eyes, that he was trying hard not to just…just…

I blushed. I really need to stop reading so many NC-17 novels. I bit my lip and looked away from him as he made his way closer. He got on the bed next to me, and touched his hand to my cheek. This made me turn to him. He smirked, "You look so cute in that," he lowered his voice, "my cute little Genis." I blushed when he started playing with the ears on the hood of the suit.

The next thing I knew he was kissing me on the lips repeatedly. They weren't hard kisses though, they were chaste and gentle. I fell backwards the short distance to the surface of my bed. That didn't stop Mithos though. And I have to say I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this.

Mithos was always gentle. He always made me feel safe.

The kisses started to get a little harder, but I guess…I really didn't mind. I mean, Mithos wouldn't do anything to me anyway. He _promised_ me he wouldn't. Not unless I wanted it. And besides, he's a good kisser so I really shouldn't complain even if I didn't want him to--

"Mmn…?"

Mithos pulled away slightly and I looked up at him, confused. He was blushing, but he was smiling as well. He leaned back down and kissed me again, though this time I felt something wet run along my bottom lip. I knew what it was, and I knew exactly what to do.

And at times like this I was glad I read so many of my sister's romance novels.

I parted my lips a bit to let Mithos slide his tongue in my mouth. It tickled a bit at first but I got used to it and closed my eyes, letting Mithos take over once again. He was just as gentle and careful as he always was and again I felt incredibly safe.

"Genis, Mithos are you--"

the door to my room opened and I could swear I felt Raine's glare even though I couldn't see her and Mithos was in front of--well more like on top of--me.

Mithos pulled away from me quickly and turned around…

Which honestly was a bad idea. Especially since Raine decided to throw something--that something being the really heavy book weight on the desk next to my door--at his head.

It hit him square in the forehead and he stumbled backwards, falling over the side of the bed.

"Oww…jeez, you didn't have to hit me so _hard_, Raine." He muttered, sitting up and rubbing his forehead, which was bleeding.

"Mithos are you okay?! Raine you made him bleed! Heal him!"

Raine opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it and, grudgingly, walked over to where Mithos was sitting and leaned down. She quickly chanted her 'First Aid' spell before backing away and walking over to me. She looked from me, to Mithos then back to me, "Why are you wearing a Katz suit?"

I blushed, "B-because…Mithos wanted to see me in it."

She closed her eyes, "Okay…and can you," she directed the question at Mithos who was now standing, "tell me _why_ you were making out with my little brother? I didn't think you'd try something like this especially when I'm in the room down the hall."

He flinched, "Because he looked cute."

"Hmm really now? Honestly, though, Mithos, I didn't think you'd take advantage of him like that."

Mithos looked shocked for a second, "Take advantage of…? How am I doing that?"

Raine's eyes narrowed, "It's obvious that he wasn't feeling good after dinner. So you--"

"You can thank Zelos for that." Mithos stated, cutting her off.

"Oh really?" Raine raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

Mithos shrugged, "Oh, I don't know, maybe because he might've put something in the last drink Genis had?"

Raine's eyes widened at this, "Wh-what? He…he gave you _alcohol_? And he…put something in it?" she looked over at me for clarification. I just nodded my head, "Y-yeah I think he did. I felt fine when he gave me the first glass. He told me it didn't have a lot of alcohol in it. But I…I think the second glass he gave me had something in it. And Mithos was with me the whole time so I know he didn't put whatever it was in the drink--so you can't accuse him of doing anything."

Raine opened her mouth and then closed it, growling silently she walked stiffly back to the door, "I'm leaving this door _open_. If I come back and find it closed you might just have something harder thrown at your head."

Mithos visibly shuddered at this but nodded his head. Once she left he turned to me, "Your sister really _is_ scary. I…feel sorry for you now. You had to live with her for thirteen years…"

I nodded my head and laughed, "Yeah that's Raine for you. I don't think all the people we meet realize how lucky they are that, if she gets angry with them, she just yells at them."

Mithos nodded his head in return, "Yeah."

I yawned silently and fell back against my pillows again, "I'm sleepy. Mithos sleep next to me tonight okay?"

Mithos smiled down at me and nodded his head, "Okay. But I think you might wanna change out of tha--"

We flinched when we heard the distinct shout of a certain red-head from not too far off. Maybe…maybe _just_ maybe I might feel sorry for Zelos…just this once…

--------------------------------------

(The Next Day)

"Well we've got everything." Raine said, counting the bags that lay out on the couch. She nodded her head once more for reassurance before turning to me and Mithos, "do you two have everything?"

We nodded our heads.

"Good, now let's go." She picked up her bags, and April picked up her own before we set out through the front door of our home. We walked through the village trying to be a silent as we possibly could. It was only 7AM in the morning, most people would still be asleep at this hour.

We made our way past the item shop and towards the entrance. That's when Pronyma's words came back to me.

_'There is a fortuneteller coming by tomorrow. Ask her to read your fortune--or she may already want to when she sees you. You will know then.'_

And…she was right. There, leaning against the entrance--or exit--of Iselia, talking to one of the guards, was a woman cloaked in a navy blue cloak. There was a younger girl with her, a girl of about my age with orange hair tied up in two pigtails. She was wearing a cloak similar to the woman's, but it was grey. Our eyes locked for a split second and then, afterwards, the girl tugged on the woman's cloak, pointing towards our group.

The woman looked over at us and let down her hood. She had orange hair just like the girl. She smiled and made her way over to us. She smiled and nodded her head to Raine, "Hello," she said, smiling, "you're leaving the town early."

Raine stepped to the side and shrugged, "We have to be getting on our way. And who might you be?"

The woman smiled, "A fortune teller. This is my apprentice. But that's not so important as…" she looked over at me, and Raine followed her gaze to me. I stepped forward and the woman's smile grew, "Your name is…?"

"Genis. Genis Sage. It's nice to meet you."

The woman nodded her head, "It's nice to meet you as well. Might I ask…when your birthday was?"

"When it was…?" I thought for a second, "Well it was two weeks and two days ago."

The woman's eyes--which I just now noticed were a brilliant shade of teal--widened, "I see. So you were born on the day of Death's Sealance."

I blinked a few times but nodded my head, "If…you say so then yes. I was."

"I see…hmm, I suppose I should tell you an old…legend. It's a legend from my hometown. It's quite old really. Would you like to hear it?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah sure."

She smiled again and closed her eyes, "On the day of Death's Sealance--on the day the Goddess, or Summon Spirit I suppose I should say, was sealed away--if a child is born their early life will be stained with sorrow. But they will also become great magic users, and they have something wonderful in store for them in their later years." She smiled, "Or at least that's what the legend says. You wouldn't happen to be a magic user? I can tell you're a half-elf by looking at you so you must use some."

I nodded my head, "I do…use some."

"I see. Hmm, Ally**(3)**."

The girl perked up, "Yes mother?"

"Do you have that object I told you to keep?"

The girl, Ally, looked confused for a moment but then smiled and fumbled with something inside her cape. When she found whatever it was that she was looking for she held it out.

It was…an earring of sorts. It was made out of some sort of blue crystal and there was a silver chain hanging from it, "You mean this?" Ally asked, looking up at her mother.

"Yes that." The woman nodded her head. She took it from the girl's hand and handed it to me, "I don't know but this might prove useful to you in some way. I…would like you to keep it as a token of our meeting at least. Now we mustn't keep you any longer. It seems you're in a hurry." The woman bowed her head to me and Ally did the same. They then hurried past us deeper into the town.

I looked down at the earring--or part of an earring, since it seemed like there should be something on the end of the chain--in my hand before slipping it into one of the pockets of my bag.

"That was unusual." April commented, "I don't believe I've ever seen a fortuneteller that gave anything away for free."

Mithos nodded his head, "Yeah…" he looked down at me, his eyes curious, and I smiled, "Well maybe she was just nice."

Raine shook her head, "That may be, but she's right we do need to hurry. I would like to get to get at least to Triet before noon. You know how hot the desert gets during the afternoon."

We nodded our heads and headed off through the entry/exit of Iselia and out into the open field.

It still unnerved me that Pronyma was right about there being a fortuneteller in town. And honestly what the fortuneteller said unnerved me as well.

I was born on the day that the Summon Spirit of Death--Feral--was sealed away. I had sorrow in my life, my father died and my mother was mentally ill--not to mention the sorrow of having to hide my half-elven blood. And I was also a mage. So all that was left for me was to have something amazing happen in my life.

But what was that 'something amazing'?

And why did I think it had to do with Reti'thera?

-------THE END(until the sequel, that is)-------

**(1): **This is the description of Mithos' outfit in the pic 'Mithos in a New outfit' (or something along the lines of that) that I drew--it's on deviant Art. Though I kept a few changes that DraNKa made on the outfits when she drew them because I liked 'em.

**(2): **This is Genis' new outfit as drawn in "Genis in a new outfit" that I drew that's on deviant Art.

**(3)** This girl, Ally, is a character that you will learn more about in TU:RooS! I have a pictutre of her on my acount on dA if you wanna see what she looks like. Trust me though, she's important...really she is.

**Me: **And there ya go: the epilog. Makes you wonder about a few things now doesn't it?

**April: **Yes it does. Like why did you decide to put Ally in there? I thought you weren't going to reveal anything about her till later?

**Me: **Well TU:RooS is going to be long enough already…I really don't want to make it any longer by going into detail on certain things that I can add in here.

**April: **…That actually made sense.

**Me: **Of course it did. Now then, R&R! This is your last chance to review for TU! And the more Reviews I get the more likely it is that I will finish up TU: Interlude! And then there's more of a chance that I will start on TU: Redemption of ones Sins (TU:RooS)! So _please_ review!


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